Happiness in the city. Experimental teaching and research in the methodological design of the collective space of the city

The paper presents the methodology and the results of the teaching experience conducted in the Bachelor Degree Course in Industrial Design of Politecnico di Milano based in Como, on the theme “Happiness in the city”, with the goal of designing “Street furniture solutions for the outdoor areas of the city of Como”. The course has allowed us to experience a teaching methodology, which is capable to trigger a process of design that, using trans-disciplinary tools and me-thods (urban, sociological and anthropological analysis, scenario design, etc.), becoming a catalyst for social participation by focusing on users and their needs, either expressed or unexpressed. The focus was set on different scales of design, from urban to object, from landscape to the enhancement of cultural and environmental communication strategies and the definition of perception and enjoyment of the environment. In all this we included all the elements that determine the functional, relational, expressive and communicative quality of the spaces and, with reference to the contemporary needs of requiring mediation between local identity and global languages.