Civic Imaginaries of Frome and Emila Romagna: movements not moments?
Discover how two forward-thinking communities are reshaping independent politics and radical forms of place-stewardship. Throughout 2026, the Civic Imaginary Partnerships project is hosting a series of international knowledge exchange webinars, exploring how communities are reshaping local democracy and piloting new place-based initiatives.
Date: Monday 13 April 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:30
Venue: Zoom
Category: Public lectures, Academic events
Across the globe, rising authoritarianism and nationalism are deepening division and isolation. Yet, at local and hyper-local levels, many places are experimenting with alternatives. Each event in this series will bring together researchers, policymakers and community leaders to share experiences, compare challenges, and reflect on how to sustain ’movements, not moments.’
In this opening event, Dr. Michael Howcroft and Dr. Ellen Bishop (from the Civic Imaginary Partnerships project, University of Glasgow), Dr. Martina Massari and Prof. Valentina Orioli (University of Bologna) will reflect on the concept and application of the civic imaginary and its diverse formulations in the UK and Italy. They are joined by an impressive group of speakers who are all ‘imagining otherwise’ for their places through independent political organising and radical place stewardship: Vania Santi and Denis Parise from Cesena SiAmo Noi, Marco Palma from University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland and Bologna for Climate Justice, Susan Palmer from Edventure Frome’s Future Shed (Somerset, UK), Hannah Stopford (Community and Partnerships Development Manager, Frome Town Council) and Peter Macfadyen (co-founder Independents For Frome and author of Flatpack Democracy). These initiatives are shaped not only by local creativity and commitment, but also by pressures from national politics and global market forces, resulting in succession challenges that affect long-term community leadership. We will explore how each place is responding—and what they can learn from one another.