Abstract:

This paper describes “Reinventing Martesana District,” a research and teaching project that involves different actors: Polimi Desis Lab (1), Cargo (2), Students of School of Design at Politecnico di Milano (3) and six local communities (4) of the neighborhood.

Polimi Desis Lab (1) is a research team of the Department of Design at Politecnico di Milano, part of the International Network of Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability that adopts a strategic and systemic approach to design, with a focus on spaces and services design in specific contexts involving local communities.

Cargo (2), a famous furniture store located in the north-east of Milan and focus on the concept of tradition, innovation, and creativity asked the Polimi Desis Lab to help them to increase their relations with the neighborhood offering the residents a new space of aggregation, community, and sharing.

A group of 35 international students (3) of Temporary Urban Solutions, an elective course of the Master Degree at the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano is involved in this research and teaching project. The class is composed by a heterogeneous group of students coming from different nationalities and with varying backgrounds in terms of design: interior, product, communication, fashion design and PSSD (Product Service System Design).

The other actors involved consisting in six local communities (4): small non-profit associations, which deal with contemporary art, culture, pedagogy, social experimentation, music and performing arts, a Solidarity Purchase Group that applies principles of equity and sustainability to food and consumer products, a Fab Lab.

Students have been involved in an applied research process whose purpose is a final prototype, of some activities, services and or performances to enhance the urban area and connect the neighborhood through the involvement of local communities.

A month and a half studio divided into six classes where students are invited to work in groups and present weekly the project progress. Human Centered design methodology is used, where a creative approach to problem-solving builds a deep empathy with the people you are designing with. Students are called to involve the respective local communities, in the different phases established by the course: first of all, phase of analysis, which includes a desk research and a field research about the associations and the context, through tools like interviews and photos reportage; then the phase of concept generation that includes a co-design session extended to the neighborhood; the next phase is the project development which culminates in a prototyping event to test activities, services, communication, spaces and so on with the neighborhood… The final prototyping event organized with Cargo in its spaces consists of the ensemble of the mise en scene of possible future scenarios for the neighborhood.

Keywords:

Social practices, Design education, Research in design, Community Centered Design, Co-design.