Starting from Dorit Fromm’s position regarding cohousing, a solution that would seem to encourage residents to socialize, constituting a potential strategy for the renovation of small neighborhoods, the author questions the real "innovative" contribution of this residential form in satisfying urban needs. If, as Bianchetti declares, contemporary public space is a space that is not for everyone, that «does not celebrate fixity but occasion», it would be useful to outline its current use and its specificities. In the search for answers to these questions, analyzing the Smithsons’ position regarding the public role of private intervention and referring to some examples inherited from the ancient city, the author identifies a new possible form of collaborative living
Keywords: cohousing, public space, civitas, co-generative housing