The de‐commodification of urban space and the occupied social centres in Italy

This paper will describe the social uses of urban space by an urban movement actor, the Venetian ‘occupied social centre’ Rivolta. It considers the occupied social centres (OSCs) in Italy as heterogeneous experiences that rely on illegal occupations of disused buildings and their self‐management. They become social and de‐commodified spaces where activists set up political and cultural initiatives. Self‐managing and self‐organization are the principles through which the occupants organize political and social activities. In this paper I will provide a general overview of this heterogeneous archipelago and interpret the Rivolta as a proactive and multidimensional movement actor that challenges a widespread view that occupations of urban space take the form of ghettos.