Cultural and economic promotion service for the Integrated Urban Plan “Città Metropolitana Spugna”
“Città Metropolitana Spugna (sponge)” plans to implement 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
Il servizio di promozione culturale ed economica propone un pacchetto attività di animazione territoriale nei comuni degli interventi che prevedono l’ingaggio di attori economici, sociali e della comunità locale tramite attività di disseminazione, attività formativa, eventi pubblici e iniziatie di citizen engagement, narrazione dell’applicazione del principio DNSH ai progetti ecc. Le iniziative di promozione saranno diversificate a seconda dei differenti spazi pubblici e della popolazione fruitrice, della NBS prevalente nell’intervento (es. de-impermeabilizzazione, rain garden, zone umide, …) e della tipologia di intervento (alleggerimento/disconnessione/riqualificazione).
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 (e.g. de-waterproofing, rain garden, wetlands, …) and the type of intervention (lightening/disconnection/redevelopment).
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 plans to propose:
- 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
