Federico Bastiani and the phenomenon of Social Street. Ever wondered what and how long it would take to invigorate a neighborhood? A simple Facebook group, perhaps? Federico’s idea, born on a street in Bologna has become the paradigm of a new economy made up of trade and aid between neighbors. I had known of him for about three years prior to Social Street, we met when I approached him about doing a Wired cover story, on the subject of “collaborative economy” and I asked Loretta Napoleoni (via Federico) to discuss the birth of that phenomenon. We created the term Pop Economy and it was a big hit. Then Federico kept in touch when he ventured into a startup business and next I heard he had opened a Facebook group that is now changing many things.
Riccardo Luna (Italian Digital Champion, former Wired director)