Abstract

There is little agreement on when informal communities are beneficial, and when they are bad for economic life of a city. Beyond the various positions flourished in the literature, we look forward a coherent view to analyze the role of urban informal communities in economic development. The survey highlights the specific expected task for these groups in discovering individual and collective preferences. While, the larger-scale patterns of urban development differ according to the basic tissue of social life. A specific case about the Italian urban Fab Lab is presented. Secondary data will be used to highlight the main entrepreneurial scenarios in the field. Finally, some interesting implications will be given in terms of how to implement the formation of these labs for urban development.