Cities often struggle with perceptions of safety after dark. To counter this, Turin has reimagined the night as a shared public space – inclusive, vibrant and alive. Its ToNite project proves that true security begins not with surveillance, but with community.

ToNite deliberately moved away from traditional “security” frameworks focused on policing or surveillance. Instead, it focused on urban safety and liveability, reframing safety as something social, spatial and cultural. 

The city’s impact assessment framework identified three core goals: 

1.   Engagement and active participation 

2.   Understanding – of place, of others, of possibilities 

3.   Liveability and security perception – measured by how spaces are used, shared and cared for 

The impact framework itself was co-designed with city departments, stakeholders and experts. It used a Theory of Change logic model to map and measure outcomes across policy, participation and perception. 

From 2019 to 2023, ToNite transformed the Dora riverside into a laboratory for inclusion, co-management and night-time engagement. 

Three flagship spaces illustrate this transformation: 

• Viale Ottavio Mai: once a bleak corridor behind the university campus, this 5,000m² area was reimagined as an “outdoor campus,” a pedestrian-friendly square and meeting place. New lighting, seating and paths turned it into a safe, welcoming hub for students and residents alike. 
   
• Giardino Pellegrino: a 2,640m² garden in the heart of Aurora District, abandoned for years, was reborn as a family-friendly playground and cultural venue, co-managed by local associations through a Pact of Collaboration – a legal framework from Turin’s Common Goods Regulation. 
   
• The Dora Riverbanks: covering an area of over 2km, these riverbanks were equipped with new street furniture, lighting and signage, creating a connected, walkable and well-lit environment for the surrounding communities. 

These physical interventions were matched by intangible investments in local energy, with €1 million funding 19 local projects developed by NGOs, universities, schools and informal community groups – many of which still continue today. 

The Project is co-financed by Urban Innovative Actions an initiative of the European Union promoting innovative projects in the field of sustainable urban development and led by the City of Turin.

The City has used ToNite as the launchpad for a wider integrated regeneration strategy in the Dora area, aligned with national and European programmes. 

In total, Turin has secured: 

€10 million in 2024 interventions 

€40 million for the years ahead, from sources including React-EU, PinQua, PIU and the PN Plus programme 

These funds will support new green areas, mobility improvements, social housing and further social innovation – including a new call for Community Spaces, called ImpatTO, which allocated €2.4 million to support local-led initiatives. 

ToNite’s impact has been in bricks and benches, but also in events, stories and shared experience. 

 The call for proposals that funded the 19 projects was co-designed with local participants. The activities that followed – from cultural nights and school workshops to mobile hubs and walking tours – brought over 30,000 people into the night in new ways. 

In total: 

• 2,222 events were held 
• 29,918 people participated 
• 15 partnerships were activated 
• Four formal collaboration pacts were signed with community groups 

ToNite’s community-led ambitions were tested by real-world complexity. 

• Winter weather made outdoor night events difficult 
• COVID-19 forced many early co-design meetings online 
• Target groups such as children were harder to engage at night 
• Ensuring long-term sustainability of local services was complex 
• There were also technical challenges

Lessons Learned
One of the project’s key innovations was in how services were created. Not imposed from above, but emerging from below. 

By using tools like Pacts of Collaboration and co-design workshops, the city shared ownership of public space and governance with residents, especially those who were not part of formal structures, such as migrants, small associations and local schools. 

Transferability
Through the URBACT Innovation Transfer Network, the city is now sharing its model with Riga, Cluj-Napoca, Sant Boi de Llobregat and Quadrilátero Urbano (Barcelos, Braga, Famalicao and Guimaraes in Portugal). The focus (via a follow-on project called 2Nite) is on helping partner cities adapt ToNite’s night-time strategy and community-based safety approach. 

The city was also selected for a European Urban Initiative City-to-City Exchange with Lille Metropole, focused on riverside green space and collaborative regeneration. 

ToNite has also been featured at: 

• World Urban Forum (Katowice, 2022) 
• Cities Forum (Turin, 2023) 
• Mannheim Congress on Urban Security (2023) 
• Tampere Smart City Expo, Montreal Night Summit, ANCI Assembly, and others