Paola Zanotto takes the audience on a journey from her traditional architectural studies to become an advocate for one of the biggest overlooked resource in cities, their streets network and the great things that can happen in it. This presentation features great projects which have improved the life of locale residents by expanding the role of local streets, going beyond the sole function of being a transport infrastructure. The starting (and ending) point uses an old English saying to explain an essential ingredient for public space improvements to work: the necessity of being backed by local communities, someone who can take care of their spaces and embrace the necessary change in the way people live, move, and interact. Paola Zanotto is an architect and urban designer with a great passion for the civic, ecological and social role of public space in cities; she works at different scales, from large urban strategies to detailed design of open spaces. She has been based in the UK for more than 10 years, where he has worked with renowned architectural, urban planning and landscape architecture firms. After completing a PhD at the IUAV in Venice, Paola embarked on an independent research path that she integrates with her professional practice This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx