Laying the foundations towards a common vision in Turin
14 February 2019
Mirafiori Sud is creating a vision of its own future: with initial ideas being of a place where all people - young and old - want to live, work, build connections and friendships, and can freely travel around by bicycle, and where green businesses flourish.
Mirafiori Sud is the southern sub-district of Turin and proGIreg’s Living Lab in the city. As the former location for FIAT’s automobile industry, it has a working class heritage and active local community ready to join the proGIreg team in its quest to regenerate the area. And lately, the team has been very busy laying the foundations for this project.
On 18 December 2018 the City of Turin invited local project partners, including the community association Fondazione Mirafiori, Dual srl, EnviPark, green roof experts OrtiAlti, the University of Turin and the Politecnico of Turin, to their first co-design workshop. Around 40 people attended the workshop; the purpose was to plan the steps needed to ensure that all relevant groups – the local community, associations for disadvantaged groups, schools and businesses - can participate in and shape the direction of the project. This firstly involved brainstorming ideas for the above-mentioned vision for the area, which is to be further developed jointly with local residents. Secondly, the participants clustered potential activities for the project into themes including the regeneration of soil for use in public green spaces, and the creation of green corridors, gardens, orchards and green roofs. “The high turn-out and amazing interest shown during the meeting demonstrates the commitment of the team in Turin to creating and working towards their vision” says Barbara Anton, co-design expert from project partner ICLEI Europe.
Another vital layer of the proGIreg foundations is the spatial analysis of the Living Lab area. The aim is, in 5 years’ time, to demonstrate the impact achieved through the green interventions in the area. To be able to compare the ‘before’ and the ‘after’, it is necessary to firstly understand the ‘before’ via a spatial analysis showing what the Mirafiori Sud area looks like now. So the team has mapped the area, identifying the public green space, unused areas, pollutions levels, public health, employment opportunities and many other useful factors.
On 22 January 2019 the partners came together at an event hosted by the City of Turin together with the Politecnico of Turin and OrtiAlti, to analyse the mapping, identify the strengths and weakness, and plan strategically along the key themes of socio-cultural inclusiveness, human health and well-being and ecological and environmental restoration.
With the initial clustering of nature-based solutions done, and the foundations for monitoring impact laid, the team will, in the coming weeks, be reaching out to local stakeholders relevant to each theme. One event in the area is already set for 19 February 2019 and open to anyone interested in designing – and digging – in the community vegetable gardens.