Designing proximity with situated stakeholders

Neighborhoods are becoming laboratories to test new ways to design the cities to solve social, environmental and cultural issues affecting global cities. The car-centered urban planning experienced in the 20th century has fostered researchers and practitioners to explore more the theme of livability and proximity. To trigger the blossoming of these models, a participatory process involving proactive networks of situated stakeholders is needed. This paper shows how competences from the academic realm can effectively boost civic awareness on the role that situated stakeholders have in producing solutions for their own wellbeing. It highlights a process enacted by the Polimi DESIS Lab with the community of Nolo (a neighborhood in Milan, Italy) with participatory design methods and tools. The research lab led two different activities to test a 3-phases strategy to explore the context and its feature, co-design new spatial (and social) solutions, and validate the results obtained.