Social innovation is reshaping how cities respond to local challenges, shifting away from traditional top-down governance models towards more participatory and community-driven approaches. Across urban contexts, grassroots initiatives are emerging as essential drivers of change, influencing public services, cultural programming, and local economies. This thesis examines these dynamics through the case study of The School of Neighbourhoods, a program that funds and supports citizen-led initiatives in Milan. The study first explores the theoretical foundations of social innovation, focusing on its interaction with design and urban development. Through this approach, it examines how cities can facilitate bottom-up experimentation and how design methodologies contribute to structure these initiatives and help them evolve. It later explores the connection between these and the milanese context, looking at how grassroots initiatives have evolved and were influenced by urban development. By observing how these projects unfold and adapt within the city’s social and political environment, the research identifies key patterns that define their path over time. Building on this foundation, the research maps the funded projects of The School of Neighbourhoods, analysing their evolution across the four different cycles. Using desk research, digital ethnography, and qualitative and quantitative analysis, the study identifies patterns in project formation, evolution, and interaction. Following this analysis, the research examined potential contributions useful to the development and sustainability of the projects. The thesis then leads to a final proposal of an ecosystem model that reimagines how cultural urban initiatives belonging to The School of Neighbourhoods can support each other over time. Rather than focusing on individual projects’ lifespan, this framework considers the broader ecosystem of citizen-led innovation, emphasizing collaboration and systemic impact.
L’innovazione sociale sta ridisegnando il modo in cui le città rispondono alle sfide locali, allontanandosi dai tradizionali modelli di governance dall’alto verso approcci più partecipativi e guidati dalle comunità. Nei contesti urbani, le iniziative cittadine stanno emergendo come motori essenziali di cambiamento, influenzando i servizi pubblici, la programmazione culturale e le economie locali. Questa tesi esamina queste dinamiche attraverso il caso studio de La Scuola dei Quartieri, un programma che finanzia e sostiene iniziative nate e guidate dai cittadini a Milano. Lo studio esplora innanzitutto le basi teoriche dell’innovazione sociale, concentrandosi sulla sua interazione con il design e lo sviluppo urbano. Attraverso questo approccio, esamina come le città possano facilitare la sperimentazione dal basso verso l’alto e come le metodologie di progettazione contribuiscono a strutturare queste iniziative e a farle evolvere. In seguito, esplora il legame tra queste iniziative e il contesto milanese, osservando come le iniziative dal basso si siano evolute e siano state influenzate dallo sviluppo urbano. Osservando come questi progetti si sviluppano e si adattano all’interno dell’ambiente sociale e politico della città, la ricerca identifica i modelli chiave che definiscono il loro percorso nel tempo. Partendo da queste basi, la ricerca mappa i progetti finanziati dalla Scuola dei Quartieri, analizzando la loro evoluzione attraverso i quattro diversi cicli. Utilizzando la ricerca documentale, l’etnografia digitale e l’analisi qualitativa e quantitativa, lo studio identifica i modelli di formazione, evoluzione e interazione dei progetti. A seguito di questa analisi, la ricerca ha esaminato i potenziali contributi utili allo sviluppo e alla sostenibilità dei progetti. La tesi porta quindi alla proposta finale di un modello di ecosistema che reimmagina come le iniziative culturali urbane appartenenti all’iniziativa Scuola dei Quartieri possano sostenersi a vicenda nel tempo. Piuttosto che concentrarsi sulla durata dei singoli progetti, questo quadro considera il più ampio ecosistema dell’innovazione guidata dai cittadini, enfatizzando la collaborazione e l’impatto sistemico.
Designing social innovation in urban communities: the case study of Milan's School of neighbourhoods
Brun, Margherita
2023/2024
Abstract
Social innovation is reshaping how cities respond to local challenges, shifting away from traditional top-down governance models towards more participatory and community-driven approaches. Across urban contexts, grassroots initiatives are emerging as essential drivers of change, influencing public services, cultural programming, and local economies. This thesis examines these dynamics through the case study of The School of Neighbourhoods, a program that funds and supports citizen-led initiatives in Milan. The study first explores the theoretical foundations of social innovation, focusing on its interaction with design and urban development. Through this approach, it examines how cities can facilitate bottom-up experimentation and how design methodologies contribute to structure these initiatives and help them evolve. It later explores the connection between these and the milanese context, looking at how grassroots initiatives have evolved and were influenced by urban development. By observing how these projects unfold and adapt within the city’s social and political environment, the research identifies key patterns that define their path over time. Building on this foundation, the research maps the funded projects of The School of Neighbourhoods, analysing their evolution across the four different cycles. Using desk research, digital ethnography, and qualitative and quantitative analysis, the study identifies patterns in project formation, evolution, and interaction. Following this analysis, the research examined potential contributions useful to the development and sustainability of the projects. The thesis then leads to a final proposal of an ecosystem model that reimagines how cultural urban initiatives belonging to The School of Neighbourhoods can support each other over time. Rather than focusing on individual projects’ lifespan, this framework considers the broader ecosystem of citizen-led innovation, emphasizing collaboration and systemic impact.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/235726