“Città Metropolitana Spugna (sponge)” is implementing 90 climate impact mitigation interventions in public areas (parking lots, squares, roads and green areas) thanks to the use of Nature Based Solution (NBS). The project is realized together with 32 Municipalities in the metropolitan area and thanks to the investment of funds from the PNRR – Integrated Urban Plans (PUI).  

“Sponge cities” are engineering projects based on sustainable urban drainage (SUDS) works and nature-based processes, as the most effective tool to reduce floods, conserve water for droughts and reduce water pollution. The Metropolitan City thus aims to reduce the vulnerability of natural and socio-economic systems and strengthen the resilience capacity of the territory, characterized by high levels of waterproofing and high urban density. 

In support of the 90 projects of the PUI Spugna, the Metropolitan City provides a service for the implementation of cultural and economic promotion activities with the aim to: 

• Promote knowledge and foster understanding of the importance of a sustainable management of stormwater 

• Overcome potential conflicts and worries and support the acceptance of the interventions 

• Ensure efficiency and long-term maintenance of the interventions 

• Expand the impact of the PUI Spugna at a metropolitan scale in a replicability perspective   

The cultural and economic promotion service was assigned, in November 2024, to a temporary grouping of companies involving, together with Poliedra, Ambiente Italia srl (leader), Politecnico Milano – DASTU, Cooperativa Sociale Eliante and Iridra srl. 

 

The role of Poliedra 

The promotion service proposes a set of territorial animation activities in the municipalities of the interventions that foresee the engagement of economic, social and local community stakeholders through dissemination activities, training activities, public events and citizen engagement initiatives, the storytelling of the application of the DNSH principle to the interventions, and so on. The promotion initiatives will be diversified according to the different public spaces and the user population of each area, the prevalent NBS and the type of intervention. 

Poliedra is responsible for designing, leading and facilitating all the citizens engagement activities, in agreement with Città Metropolitana, CAP and the Municipalities involved, as well as with the other partners of the RTI. 

In detail, Poliedra is proposing:  

• itineraries and exploratory routes connecting the interventions’ areas  

• co-design workshops with a view to future management of the places subject to intervention 

• public celebration events at the work/re-developed space 

• NBS’ related awareness days, dedicated to the schools affected by the interventions 

• On-line gamification activities via apps and platforms 

The first participatory meeting, held in June 2025 in Pieve Emanuele near the M.L. King school, led to the design of a “Game of the Goose of the Sponge City” designed to help people discover the Sponge City and its interventions while having fun (https://www.puicmmspugna.it/eventi/presentazione-interventi-spugna-di-pieve-emanuele/ )