Paola Idini on "Small Participated Steps to Urban Micro-Regenerations: Recount of an experience of participatory planning in the city of Sassari"

1. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Small Participated Steps to Urban Micro‐Regenerations
Recount of an experience of participatory planning in the city of Sassari
Paola Idini
P l Idi i
TaMaLaCa
Gruppo di ricerca e azione per la città dei diritti
Laboratorio di Analisi e Modelli per la Pianificazione (LaMP)
Dipartimento di Architettura, Design, Urbanistica dell’Università di Sassari

2. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Methodological References
Urban Rights in developed countries.
Urban Quality of Life and the right of every person with its specificities to reach a
b l f f d h h f h f h
good level of urban quality of life.
Develop projects and actions starting from people (which are citizens and
inhabitants) and specificities (of person, of places, of spaces).
Sen A., 2010; Brown A., Kristiansen A. (2009); Sennet R. (2003).

3. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Objective: to build together different chances of reconquest of urban
environments, from specific needs to the common benefit.
Working method: focuses on deny urban rights of one of the most marginal
group of citizens: children.
We believe that working on children specificities can be a good way to promote
urban quality of life, to every citizen’s benefit .
Ward C. (1978 ); Paba G. (1998), (2006),(2009).

4. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Ideas of PaC project
[Periferie al Centro. Bambine e bambini alla conquista della città]
Objective of PaC is: to promoting quality of urban life starting from
specificities of places and direct contribution of children
children.
Anchor points of PaC:
A h i f P C
•To work on derelict and marginal urban areas
•To work inside schools with school communities
•To activate and develop participatory process without to predetermine results

5. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
PaC
from 2005 until now
8 districts
14 schools
a lot of projects and actions

6. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
PortaColori
It contains every PaC fundamental ingredients: a derelict urban area, a school
made by a strengthen and active community, a big wish of change.
PortaColori is the result of a participatory design process with children, teachers
and parents last 5 years.
It is a first realization of a wider project: the reconquest of the elementary school
playground in a critical district of Sassari, called Monte Rosello.

7. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
PortaColori
P C l i
Now it is an effective public space, lived by different users during all day time.

8. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Steps of PortaColori Project –Process_1
Activation of participatory planning laboratories with about
150 children, 70 teenagers, 8 teachers, a lot of parents.
Laboratories and some outcomes

9. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Steps of PortaColori Project –Process_1
Some children’s wishes:
• to leave the space free and accessible to everyone (especially to disabled
p y ( p y
people).
• to have a welcoming tidy colourful and soft space
welcoming, tidy, colourful, space.
• to have a protected space where “to play and to look at the others playing”
and where “to stay and to talk with friends”.
to friends

10. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Steps of PortaColori Project –Process_2
Translation of common wishes and needs into an executive project,
and realization.
The space before intervention and under construction

11. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Steps of PortaColori Project –Process_2
Translation of common wishes and needs into an executive project,
and realization.
The space under construction

12. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Steps of PortaColori Project –Process_2
Fundamental common criteria of project:
• to build a space that does not communicate any prohibitions. On the contrary it
should invite to fantasy and unconventional use, respecting the safety school
rules.
u es
• to build a “contagious” space, which can create possibilities of bigger urban
transformations.
transformations
Ward C. (1978 ); Francis M. (1987); Paba G. (1998), (2006),(2009).

13. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Steps of PortaColori Project –Process_3
To live and care the re‐conquered space.
Now it is an effective public space, lived by different users during all day time.

14. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Steps of PortaColori Project –Process_3
To live and care the reconquest space.
Some details: creative handrails and graffiti.

15. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Conclusions
PortaColori has product different kind of results: urban, social, pedagogical.
It opens the school to the district and the district to the school.
But the best result reached through this small project, it is to demonstrate
g p j ,
everybody –children, parents, teachers, political representatives, citizens– that it
is possible to work well together to reach common purposes
purposes,
and to show that it is possible to think and to build together a child‐friendly city,
for children of all ages
ages.
Paba G. (2006)

16. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Future directions
New PaC steps now are moving beyond the border of school spaces
spaces.
It is an extension of our reasoning with school’s community beyond the wall that
divides school and district
district.
Perhaps we would gradually decide together that that wall is unnecessary.
Michelucci G.(1949); Ward C.(1978).

17. TaMaLaCa
tuttamialacitta’
Thank you for your attention
y y
Paola Idini