This paper considers the possibilities for public art and urban design to implement civic participatory strategies. It starts with a short analysis of the implementation of the Francoist “Ley de Asociaciones” and its impact on the Urban Social Movements of the Spanish Transition till the present day. In the framework of the relationship between the concept of civic participation and that of urban governance, it analyses the experience of citizen participation in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Baró de Viver. Two of the results of the process, the Monument to the Casas Baratas (Affordable Houses) and the Wall of Remembrance, enable us to discuss the role of the relationship among technicians, politicians and neighbours in the context of specific project decision making. Moreover, the paper analyses the role of “facilitator” that our team defends as a working attitude in the processes of citizen participation.