In a Garden. Designing Gardens Through Storytelling

“In a Garden”is a set of activities promoted in 2013 and 2014 by the City of Milan – in collab- oration with the Politecnico di Milano’s School of Design and two associations, Democratic and Participatory Design,(de.de.p) and the Zuppa Urban Project (ZUP).The aim of the activ- ities is to develop some design solutions for eight green public areas in Zone 9, an area in Milan to which the Bovisa Durando Campus of the Politecnico di Milano belongs, and to tell the stories about its people and their activities. The School of Design’s involvement with“In a Garden”is via a trans-disciplinary approach, including interior/spatial design and communication/movie design.This approach aims to engage in co-creation activities and in conversation with the people of the neighbourhood and their needs in a series of stages that are, as yet, undecided. Nowadays, the need to reclaim public spaces is shared among several stakeholders (asso- ciations, informal groups of people, public institutions) of the Zone 9.They are reclaiming its use, innovation of its functions and activities, safety, and maintenance.These eight green areas are in need of interventions at different levels:reinforcing their identity,redesign of the spaces, new urban furniture and open-air settings. Further “In a Garden” explores, tests and prototypes transmedial stories as the driving force of identity-building processes, and as a means of engagement for the citizens in their renewal and reclamation of urban spaces and green areas.