The construction of the public city. Governance of urban processes and transformation: the role of social housing - La costruzione della città pubblica.Governance dei processi e trasformazioni urbane: il ruolo dell’edilizia sociale

The paper looks at a selection of research and consultancy activities carried out by members of the “Governance, Design and Valorisation for the Built Environment” research group from the BEST Department at the Politecnico di Milano on behalf of Novara City Council and of the Local Agency for Social Housing. This work was undertaken with the objective of framing a systematic and multi-scalar design to be used in the redevelopment and upgrading of social housing properties in Novara through an approach which emphasised reconstruction of urban relationships and enhancement of the landscape and environment of noteworthy segments of the city. The aforementioned activities were then concentrated and developed within “Neighbourhood Contract III” and “URBACT Active Travel Network ATN” programmes. In particular, the subject of social housing has characterised the urban development of the town of Novara, much in the same way as in many other Italian cities. This involved developing neighbourhoods from scratch over different historical periods to meet the need for social housing at accessible rents for those families excluded from the “normal” real estate market. Over the last century there were four projects that reshaped the urban periphery of which two - the neighbourhoods of “Vela” and San Rocco - were the context within which the research group carried out their work. In fact, the hub of the project and regeneration is the disused FNM Rail Yard, which, for years, constituted an urban fissure in Novara, today reaches out as an important hinge for the integration of two important parts of the city: the one that revolves around the "Vela" neighbourhood and the one which animates the San Rocco area. The features of this territorial framework of reference are relevant both in respect of the existing context, and with reference to the actions and programs of urban transformation already underway. This co-joining of points of reference strengthens the strategic role of integration and service in the areas subject to intervention within the broader urban environment. The Novara case is of particular interest as it has succeeded in implementing a strategic vision in the development efforts of the town by optimizing local resources and planning already in existence, through creating synergies between measures which were the outcome of highly differentiated financing channels: accommodating complex operations characterised by multi-scalar approaches and the presence of multiple stakeholders with diverse skills and objectives. It was necessary to develop and implement an evolved project culture in which the adopted model could feed understanding and interpretation of the needs which stemmed from different points of view, brought back a model which tied ends together and brought solutions back to a systemic logic in order to overcome the schematism and fragmentation which too often characterize the discipline of architecture. It was decided that there was a need to structure the project as a scientific organization of labour which could simultaneously integrate within itself management tools, creative elements and operational aspects all organized in a logical sequence of steps, in which technical solutions could not exempt themselves from a sociological and economic analysis of possible consequences (F. Schiaffonati et al., 1994) – a way of working which characterises the technological culture of the project whilst allowing participants to exceed disciplinary boundaries and go beyond the segmentation of knowledge. The adequacy of this approach was verified by the results obtained from the research and design experimentation carried out. In particular, further confirmation was realised of how "governance of the built environment" can provide an important forum for innovation with respect to project activity.