Earthquakes, public spaces and (the social construction of) environmental disasters. IJPP - Italian Journal of Planning Practice 4 Vol. III, issue 1 - 2013 Barbara Pizzo ISSN: 2239-267X The role of public space for risk mitigation and urban redevelopment and the role of environmental disasters for re- assessing the ‘space of the Public’. PhD - Researcher and Senior Lecturer in Town and Regional Planning barbara.pizzo@uniroma1.it Dipartimento di Pianificazione, Design, Tecnologia dell'Architettura - Sapienza Università di Roma Giacomina Di Salvo Architects, PhD in Town and Regional Planning Research group on Urban planning & Seismic risk prevention of Dipartimento di Pianificazione, Design, Tecnologia dell'Architettura (coord. Prof. M. Olivieri) - Sapienza Università di Roma Margherita Giuffré Piera Pellegrino ABSTRACT This paper stems from long-lasting research dedicated to urban risk reduction through a planning approach. It focuses on public space, proposing an inversion of the usual perspective: instead of considering public spaces for risk mitigation and urban redevelopment, here the imperatives of environmental safety and urban resilience can be