Spazio libero is one of nine architecture festivals selected by the Ministry of Culture, held in
Ferrara and dedicated to ‘slack space’ in medium-sized cities, followed by an international session in Brussels focusing on children as active participants in the life of the city.

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Slack space is an expression borrowed from the world of computing that Jeremy Till used to represent architecture's ability to appropriate the dilated space of the contemporary city. The Festival investigated the themes of slack space in the context of medium-sized cities (difference from large urban contexts, comparison of examples and good practices, the importance and significance of slack space in the public space of the city, the meaning of designing or intervening in slack space...) through participatory workshops, co-design meetings, urban walks, design+build workshops, conferences and talks in collaboration with local associations and institutions. The international session in Brussels focused on the role of children in understanding and activating the city's free spaces, exploring how they can be an active part of city life and how play can help us see the places around us in a different light.