56|CUADERNOS design trends of public spaces which is gaining force and relevance in the field of urban planning, related to attention to the context, the rigorous field work and experimentation, and that would arise from applying a bottom-up de- sign method applied to public spaces lighting, as a tool that would comple- ment a lighting master plan more fo- cused on tracing the outlines regarding lighting strategy and that would in the hands of individualized tactics, case-by- case developed, the implementation and execution. Paolo spoke in his research about involving the citizens, to partici- pate in the research process and finding solutions. While in Madrid, Irene Bas and I were culture in Barcelona in mid-February. With this motivation, we contacted Pao- lo and got to work on the development of a proposal for them. Thinking of proposing an activity that had some resonance in the general public, we raised the possibility of a lighting intervention in public space (the gardens of Rubio i Lluch) and, moreover, such intervention was the result of a process of collaborative design and analysis, conducted over a lighting design workshop. The purpose of holding this workshop open to the public interested in lighting design was due to several reasons: firstly, collabo- rative design work allows an application of the bottom-up method effectively and indoor garden in an XV century origi- nal architectural complex in the Raval district? February 2013. We understand education as a form of production and distribution of culture for social change, as a form of activism, of community development. During the workshop ses- sions, apart from exhibiting the work by conferences the lighting design in urban environments, both the state of the art and technology and good professional practice, there were many topics that we wanted to experience in the field: self-management and the DIY, the night image of our cities as part of our visual heritage, the special treatment required “The intervention of the designer in a public space, in a way, is a long-term commitment based on a temporal relationship with the environment, and the consequences of their work affect the quality of life of the people.” attending the conference ‘Architecture + Light = a brilliant tandem’ organized by the Professional Association of Lighting Designers within the Mantelec Fair. Irene, as Paolo, a member and activist of this association and chatting with her, we considered the various initiatives and communication tactics that could help the profession to interact with society, to be known. Pursuing this goal, there was the will of the APDI to perform a communication event of the values of independent lighting design and lighting in a realistic way, as each participant brings his/her own views and experien- ce on the topics and the opportunities brought by each case of study. On the other hand, the communication of the values of independent lighting design would be much more interesting and deeper along the sessions with an au- dience directly interested in the subject. The design goal raised in the workshop ended up being: How can we re-activate with light, from the civic and social stan- dpoint, an underutilized public space: an by unique projects in historic centers and public places ... and flew over all that a spirit, a concept: the enablement or ‘empowerment’ of citizens as a way to get their involvement and participa- tion in the design of their environment and to develop a critical awareness on the issues of urban lighting and urban planning . Working with neighborhood asso- ciations we could get a very detailed picture of social and economic activation policies which Barcelona City Council is © Francesco Portaluri