Mapping through photography

In the heart of the Quarticciolo neighbourhood in Rome, NextCityLAB is taking shape – a third mission project by Sapienza University that brings together participatory research, civic education and photography. By involving university students, primary school children and local organisations, the project has produced a participatory (counter)map of “invisible beauty” – a narrative and practical tool to challenge territorial stigmatisation.

What is the purpose of a geolocalised inventory of the invisible beauty that surrounds us? It helps us understand the human and social resources a place holds, and pin them on a map so that others might notice them too – and none are lost. Somewhere where? A participatory (counter)map, like the one developed by the Department of Social Sciences and Economics at Sapienza University for Rome’s Quarticciolo neighbourhood. It is called NextCityLAB. Originally conceived as a “third mission” initiative¹, it has proven to be of primary importance both for the young citizens who helped bring it to life – the pupils of the Pirotta primary school – and for those who conceived and implemented it, calling upon various third sector bodies and local institutions².

From co-design workshops to the map

It may take just one click to see the result and only a few words to describe it, but to appreciate its true value one must listen to the experiences of those involved in NextCityLAB, or at least its co-authors and co-protagonists: university students, lecturers and researchers, schoolchildren and teachers from “Pirotta”.

«It all began with the idea of testing participatory research techniques and methods to support change and social innovation rooted in local communities», explains sociologist Francesca Messineo, a member of the project team.

«At the same time, we wanted to offer our students concrete learning opportunities, where they could apply what they had learned in class».

These two aims took shape through co-design workshops which gradually evolved into genuine living labs: civic engagement laboratories in Rome’s Quarticciolo district³.

«We chose this neighbourhood because, alongside clear socio-economic difficulties, there are strong and widespread networks of civic activism, both formal and informal», Messineo adds, explaining that the focus was not only on the challenges residents face, but also on highlighting the hopes, aspirations and resources each person felt they could contribute.

A preliminary mapping to what can be seen online today – invisible to the wider web audience but fundamental to the work of the NextCityLAB team – clearly revealed not only the lack of educational opportunities, services and stimuli for the area’s youth, but also the presence of untapped social bonds and relational resources waiting to be activated.

Therefore, while young people were the project’s primary focus, making the initiative effective required engaging a broader network – all those who contribute to shaping the physical and symbolic identity of the territory.

Everyone got involved: «Civic and social networks, associations, committees, cooperatives, local institutions and even the parish church», lists Messineo.

«We tried to be as inclusive as possible because one of our goals from the outset was to strengthen dialogue between the various organisations concerned about the neighbourhood’s future».

The beauty next door

From the formation of a participatory network to the idea of a participatory (counter)map was a short step. This tool proved immediately effective in encouraging young people to notice, understand and value elements of their neighbourhood as potential resources. «We wanted to prompt children to reflect on what their area has to offer in terms of beauty – and their families too», says Messineo. «As sociologists, we are particularly interested in the territorial stigmas that lead to portraying suburbs solely through their problems».

«We wanted to challenge this narrative and bring to light the quality of places usually depicted negatively. Both in the eyes of the general public and, more importantly, in the eyes of residents themselves, helping them reimagine public space and reclaim its use».

NextCityLAB was built on these intentions. It gathered a wealth of goodwill and shared effort, but its true success is reflected in the children who started as mere “recipients” of the project and ended up as its protagonists, authors and main beneficiaries.

«The (counter)map enabled them to identify valuable points of reference where they could find comfort or unexpected beauty. And in the process, they discovered the beauty of sharing and being together», says Angela Panio, one of the Pirotta primary school teachers who participated in the project with her pupils. Her colleague Giorgia Evangelisti follows her up, adding a second “effect” that the map itself generated. «We wanted to initiate socially generative processes, and NextCityLAB gave us a close-up look at some of these practices», she explains, confirming that «the children responded with great enthusiasm, embracing the project and capturing the positive aspects of their surroundings – not just in the map but also in a photography exhibition».

Learning through photography

Notwithstanding the online publication of the virtual (counter)map, the children’s enthusiasm was equally intense at the project’s final event. Held in the local theatre-library, this physical event featured the photography exhibition created by the children: snapshots of their neighbourhood, shared with friends, families and community members.

One of the key components of the digital map was the series of photos taken while walking through Quarticciolo with fresh eyes, guided by professional photographer Giorgia Spigarelli⁴ from the association Fusolab 2.0⁵. She shared her passion for photography and offered useful tips to these budding enthusiasts.

Despite being aware of their neighbourhood’s challenges – including issues with crime – the children took the challenge of finding beauty seriously, and they succeeded. But before they found pictures, they changed their perspective: they learned to observe their surroundings with curiosity and sensitivity, countering stereotypes with a creative effort of rediscovery and appreciation.

It was not easy at first. Everyone wondered what beautiful things there could be to photograph in a place so often described as ugly. A simple prompt to look closely at the details was all it took – and they captured many, with dedication and, above all, joy. «I was in my neighbourhood, but it felt like I was on holiday», said one girl after a day spent exploring with an attentive eye for hidden beauty. «The challenge was to walk the streets of Quarticciolo, discovering the small organisations trying to make a difference and bring benefits to the community – even just by creating spaces for light-heartedness and sharing», Messineo recounts.

«Together with us, however, the children discovered that beautiful things do exist – it is just that sometimes we fail to see them».

Seeing through young eyes

NextCityLAB offered the children a different perspective and it did the same for their teachers, at least those who fully embraced this Sapienza third mission project. Embraced it with courage, because mapping beauty in a place where the environment has long conditioned people to believe none exists requires trust and a willingness to take risks. It requires a choice – the choice to get involved. Panio and Evangelisti made that choice, but they admit they had serious doubts at first: «We did not know whether photography would capture the children’s interest», they say. «In the end, we were proven wrong. Our collaboration with the photographer who guided us along the way turned out to be a fantastic way to spark enthusiasm, and everyone managed to find beauty in their shots».

They did not just observe, they got involved: «Together with the children, we tried to find value beyond the ordinary and believe that beauty can be found anywhere».

«It was a precious experience for us, as it helped us understand how children see the place they live in, and encouraged us to try seeing it through their eyes».

On the academic side, the project has also left a deep impression. The students involved have been drawing and participating in all stages of the work, «getting their hands dirty in the field and taking on responsibilities that reflect their future roles as sociologists or social workers», Messineo explains. The complex teamwork required to create the (counter)map also fostered intergenerational and cross-disciplinary dialogue within the university, a type of exchange that rarely emerges spontaneously in lecture halls. Having dismantled the stigma that labelled a neighbourhood as ugly, NextCityLAB also broke down the hierarchies that often trap lecturers and students in rigid, limiting roles.

Third mission accomplished, but what remains?

The many photographs taken by the young residents of Quarticciolo, potentially ready to be exhibited again, elsewhere.

The possibility of keeping the online map alive as a tool for young people to spark new reflections and educational activities.

The awareness that beauty can emerge even through the cracks of time, in forgotten corners, among peeling walls and suspended silences.
A renewed gaze – or rather, a constellation of gazes – able to glimpse possibility where others see only absence.
And a hope that becomes collective: to rebuild, to repopulate, to give voice once more to a neighborhood that today feels restless, “uneasy,” yet holds within it the seed of a new harmony.

---

1. What is the “third mission” for a university? https://www.uniroma1.it/en/pagina-strutturale/outreach ↩︎
2. The extended NextCityLAB team https://nextcitylab.it/?page_id=90 ↩︎
3. For those not familiar with the Quarticciolo district, a brief history of it: Ceresi, E. (2025, febbraio 21). Dalla borgata per la borgata: la storia di Quarticciolo. Lucy Sulla Cultura. https://lucysullacultura.com/dalla-borgata-per-la-borgata-la-storia-di-quarticciolo/ ↩︎
4. Shots by photographer Giorgia Spigarelli: https://giorgia-spigarelli.squarespace.com/ ↩︎
5. Fusolab is a social promotion association based in Rome: https://www.fusolab.net/chi-siamo ↩︎