Urban regeneration

Spoke 1 directly addresses the theme of ecological and digital transition at the urban level through the definition of models and strategies for urban regeneration and the innovation of processes and products from joint and living labs where businesses and researchers from various Milanese universities tackle key issues of sustainable urban development. The starting point is the characteristics of different cities and the available information to create an integrated and modular platform capable of connecting data related to the environment and biodiversity with the cognitive and behavioral aspects of citizens and the strictly urban and structural aspects of the area where interventions are to be carried out.

The goal is a multi-criteria, participatory design capable of enhancing the peculiarities of the territory to create more sustainable cities tailored to the needs of today’s citizens. The economic evaluation of various elements, from ecosystem services of green areas to the estimation of the effects of certain urban planning choices on human health, will be essential not only to quantify the value of regeneration processes but also to identify levers and funding models for interventions. This will form the basis for large-scale projects of urban afforestation, de-pavement, and recovery of critical and disused areas found in different cities.

Within Spoke 1, particular focus will be dedicated to emerging city issues such as those related to urban waste, which can become a resource. A second key theme concerns energy choices, and finally, the issue of mobility and logistics will be addressed. Regarding the waste and waste theme, the concept of an integrated biorefinery with the territory will be applied through the development of appropriate technological tools to redesign supply chains and valorize biomass. Both emerging chemical technologies and biotechnological approaches will be considered to transform waste into new materials and molecules, fully applying the principles of sustainability and circular economy.

On the energy front, Spoke 1’s efforts will aim to promote the development of carbon-neutral districts and Positive Energy Districts (PED) through technical innovations, as well as innovative economic schemes and tools related to energy efficiency and the production and management of renewable energy to meet the needs of the 21st century: reducing energy, materials, and land use flows. The aim is also to protect communities from climate warming and the exacerbation of extreme events.

Regarding mobility, the ecosystem will focus on both the technological aspects of new mobility processes and behavioral and social aspects, as well as innovative policies, economic measures, and management support for mobility.

Finally, it is important to emphasize that while Milan represents the laboratory of Spoke 1, researchers and businesses will collaborate intensely at the national and international levels to promote a sustainable and scalable urban transition in various contexts. The strength will be collaboration with research centers and institutions in southern Italy with the aim of sharing technologies, innovation processes, feasibility plans, and transfer actions to the territory.