Cities are very complex systems, and they are key players for sustainable development. A more sustainable future is strictly linked to our ability to reshape cities in a more inclusive, healthier and safer way. In defining strategic actions, public spaces have a key role because they are the backbone of cities and communities. If well designed according to users’ needs and environmental sustainability principles, those urban places can promote a healthy lifestyle, a sense of belonging and safety. To manage the complexity of the given topic of this PhD research with multifaceted features, the research has been organised in three lines of research. The first is the leading theme about the participatory design approach that includes shared decision processes, participatory processes, co-design and, placemaking. The second is about the deep meaning of creating inclusive, healthy and safe spaces for the community and the city focusing both on the tangible and intangible values of places. The third line of research is about the definition of strategies and lines of actions to get more inclusive, healthier and safer places involving the community. To do that, it has been helpful a specific focus on existent methods, approaches and tools that combine the previous two lines of research. In this study, then, Mantua represents a specific given context with its uniqueness related to the architectural heritage and the natural landscape. It also belongs to UNESCO world heritage city together with Sabbioneta. Among the many approaches that combine the direct involvement of citizens and the project of public spaces, Placemaking seems representing the most complete and structured one, so it has been deepened through bibliographic study, a hands-on approach during the experience abroad and its direct application on several projects. Placemaking is working its way in developing cities around their communities and places, it applies a human-centred approach, it looks at citizens as the experts of the daily public life that happens in places and it has been developed as a multi-steps process with plenty of tools. Considering those three lines of research, the objectives of this study are investigating co-design and co-creation for the regeneration and improvement of public spaces with communities; identifying qualities and hidden values of urban places in order to make them inclusive, healthy and safe; then, identifying strategies for the city of Mantua that answer to the “how to...?” questions such as “how can we make placemaking real in a specific Italian context?” or “how can we integrate placemaking into planning?”. Since the academic field of this study is “Urban and regional planning” the perspective on those themes and approaches is a systemic thinking to define technical and political processes that can better develop a sustainable built environment to serve an ever-changing society and to improve people’s lives. Starting from a study and a practical experience on Placemaking as an approach able to help designers and municipalities to reshape and activate public spaces with the community while improving its sense of belonging, the outputs of this study are manifold. The first is an “Organised Placemaking Toolbox” with tools applicable at different design scales throughout the whole placemaking process (one out of three has been directly experienced by the author). The second output is the “Placemaking Framework”, a ‘meta-design’ that combines the steps of the placemaking process and three design scales of urban projects together with the suitable placemaking tools. This frame of reference helps facilitators and designers to interpret urban challenges and current urban plans through the lens of Placemaking, to implement it within urban policies. The third output consists of a proposal for the city of Mantua to implement Placemaking into future projects applying the “Placemaking Framework”. To validate this proposal, the “Placemaking Framework” has been applied to the PEBA Plan (Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers) of the city during its initial phase. Thus, through its outputs, this study wants to propose a urban development model that can easily combine bottom-up and top-down initiatives creating a collaborative process that is socially and culturally inclusive, flexible and multidisciplinary.
Le città sono sistemi complessi e giocano un ruolo chiave per lo sviluppo sostenibile. Un futuro più sostenibile dipende anche da come rigeneriamo le città affinché siano più inclusive, salubri e sicure. Nel definire azioni strategiche, gli spazi pubblici hanno una grande importanza perchè rappresentano la struttura delle città e le fondamenta delle comunità. Se ben progettati in risposta alle esigenze degli utenti e dei principi di sostenibilità, questi spazi urbani possono promuovere uno stile di vita più sano, accrescere il senso di appartenenza e la sicurezza. Per gestire la complessità del tema di ricerca, questa è stata organizzata secondo tre linee di ricerca. La prima è il tema principale da cui discendono gli altri, il co-design e la partecipazione (fino ad arrivare al placemaking). La seconda riguarda l’approfondimento dei temi della città inclusiva, sicura e salubre sia per le persone che per l’ambiente, considerando aspetti tangibili e intangibili legati ai luoghi. La terza, riguarda la definizione di strategie per rendere la città più inclusiva, salubre e sicura con il coinvolgimento dei cittadini. Successivamente, è stato considerato il caso della città di Mantova che è il contesto dato dal tema di ricerca. Insieme a Sabbioneta, Mantova è anche sito UNESCO e rappresenta un unicum per le sue peculiarità storico-architettoniche e paesaggistiche. Tra i vari approcci che si occupano i partecipatine cittadina e progetto degli spazi pubblici, il Placemaking risulta essere quello più completo e strutturato, per cui è stato analizzato in modo approfondito sia dal punto di vista teorico che da direttamente sperimentato e agito sul campo, dal punto di vista pratico attraverso l’esperienza all’estero. Il Placemaking è un approccio alla progettazione urbana che mira a riqualificare gli spazi pubblici migliorandone l’identità e la fruibilità attraverso il coinvolgimento dei cittadini nelle varie fasi di progetto. Gli obiettivi del progetto di ricerca sono pertanto lo studio del concetto di co-design e coinvolgimento delle comunità per la riqualificazione degli spazi pubblici; l’identificazione delle qualità degli spazi inclusivi, sicuri e salubri; la definizione di strategie per la città di Mantova per dare indicazioni su come sviluppare un processo partecipativo di placemaking e su come integrarlo ai piani di sviluppo urbano. Poiché il settore scientifico disciplinare di questa ricerca è “Tecnica e pianificazione urbanistica” - un ambito che guarda ai cambiamenti dal punto di vista sistemico - si è deciso di adottare questa prospettiva per la definizione non solo di una buona pratica attuabile nel caso di Mantova, ma di creare un formato applicabile a più contesti in grado di portare un cambiamento duraturo e sempre in progress. I risultati della ricerca si possono distinguere in tre elementi specifici e hanno diverse peculiarità. Il primo è una raccolta organizzata di strumenti di co-design per applicare il metodo placemaking e renderlo operativo. Questi tools sono catalogati in base alle scale di progetto e agli step del processo di placemaking all’interno di una “Organised Placemaking Toolbox”. Molti di questi, inoltre, sono stati imparati e messi in pratica sul campo in modo diretto durante l’esperienza all’estero. Il secondo risultato è il “Placemaking Framework”, un meta-progetto che aiuta chi si occupa di trasformazioni urbane a reinterpretare, in chiave placemaking, i progetti urbani e le sfide attuali delle città. Questo quadro interpretativo dovrebbe avvicinare soprattutto le pubbliche amministrazioni al tema del co-design coi cittadini e renderlo un approccio usuale per i progetti strategici della città. Il terzo risultato della ricerca consiste nella proposta per la città di Mantova di adottare questo meta-progetto per dare vita a progetti di riqualificazione urbana ponendo al centro di essi il coinvolgimento della comunità cittadina con le sue necessità, idee e attenzioni. Nell’ottica di dare compimento alla proposta strategica per Mantova, il meta-progetto di placemaking è stato sperimentato nelle prime fasi del Piano per l’Eliminazione delle Barriere Architettoniche di Mantova con un ottimo risultato. Grazie all’avanzamento proposto dalla ricerca, è stato possibile definire un modello di sviluppo collaborativo e multidisciplinare che può facilmente combinare iniziative bottom-up e top-down, e che si riesce ad adattare alle diverse situazioni.
A placemaking framework for a systemic change : how to combine placemaking with current planning tools to create inclusive, healthy and safe spaces. Strategies for the city of Mantua
Campioli, Stefania
2024/2025
Abstract
Cities are very complex systems, and they are key players for sustainable development. A more sustainable future is strictly linked to our ability to reshape cities in a more inclusive, healthier and safer way. In defining strategic actions, public spaces have a key role because they are the backbone of cities and communities. If well designed according to users’ needs and environmental sustainability principles, those urban places can promote a healthy lifestyle, a sense of belonging and safety. To manage the complexity of the given topic of this PhD research with multifaceted features, the research has been organised in three lines of research. The first is the leading theme about the participatory design approach that includes shared decision processes, participatory processes, co-design and, placemaking. The second is about the deep meaning of creating inclusive, healthy and safe spaces for the community and the city focusing both on the tangible and intangible values of places. The third line of research is about the definition of strategies and lines of actions to get more inclusive, healthier and safer places involving the community. To do that, it has been helpful a specific focus on existent methods, approaches and tools that combine the previous two lines of research. In this study, then, Mantua represents a specific given context with its uniqueness related to the architectural heritage and the natural landscape. It also belongs to UNESCO world heritage city together with Sabbioneta. Among the many approaches that combine the direct involvement of citizens and the project of public spaces, Placemaking seems representing the most complete and structured one, so it has been deepened through bibliographic study, a hands-on approach during the experience abroad and its direct application on several projects. Placemaking is working its way in developing cities around their communities and places, it applies a human-centred approach, it looks at citizens as the experts of the daily public life that happens in places and it has been developed as a multi-steps process with plenty of tools. Considering those three lines of research, the objectives of this study are investigating co-design and co-creation for the regeneration and improvement of public spaces with communities; identifying qualities and hidden values of urban places in order to make them inclusive, healthy and safe; then, identifying strategies for the city of Mantua that answer to the “how to...?” questions such as “how can we make placemaking real in a specific Italian context?” or “how can we integrate placemaking into planning?”. Since the academic field of this study is “Urban and regional planning” the perspective on those themes and approaches is a systemic thinking to define technical and political processes that can better develop a sustainable built environment to serve an ever-changing society and to improve people’s lives. Starting from a study and a practical experience on Placemaking as an approach able to help designers and municipalities to reshape and activate public spaces with the community while improving its sense of belonging, the outputs of this study are manifold. The first is an “Organised Placemaking Toolbox” with tools applicable at different design scales throughout the whole placemaking process (one out of three has been directly experienced by the author). The second output is the “Placemaking Framework”, a ‘meta-design’ that combines the steps of the placemaking process and three design scales of urban projects together with the suitable placemaking tools. This frame of reference helps facilitators and designers to interpret urban challenges and current urban plans through the lens of Placemaking, to implement it within urban policies. The third output consists of a proposal for the city of Mantua to implement Placemaking into future projects applying the “Placemaking Framework”. To validate this proposal, the “Placemaking Framework” has been applied to the PEBA Plan (Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers) of the city during its initial phase. Thus, through its outputs, this study wants to propose a urban development model that can easily combine bottom-up and top-down initiatives creating a collaborative process that is socially and culturally inclusive, flexible and multidisciplinary.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/229213