Abstract

Many historical city centers are changing their demographic composition and their urban planning at the same time. This paper analyzes Brescia's case study as an example of temporary urban transformation and investigates cohabitation between immigrant people, university students and other city users, focusing on specific strategies of public and private players who on the same «ground» are developing different processes and programmes, looking for a new prospective for the city. According to the authors the challenge of middle Italian cities is rethinking its urban policies in a more comprehensive perspective, able to take account of social, cultural, economical complexity as a critical success factor for city development.