Promoting an integrated approach to urban regeneration – Turin, IT.

Problem

In the early 20th century the birth and consolidation of the metal-working industry transformed the old Subalpine capital into the “city of the car”. Nevertheless, the growth was so fast and so radical that the city was unprepared, particularly when it came to dealing with the huge flood of immigrants from the South. Since 1980, the progressive shrinking of the importance of the Fiat industry and the decline of the Fordist industrial model produced dramatic social consequences, such as a steep rise in unemployment. The decrease of institutional capacities and governance of municipal actors and their weakness brought to a lack of competitiveness of the local economy, affected by urban decline and environmental pressure.

Description

The Urban II Turin Programme aims at promoting social inclusion and strengthening citizen’s participation in the labour market. Thus, it aims at regenerating innovative entrepreneurial abilities. In fact, Turin’s main challenges are to raise the standards of education and to fight social exclusion and marginalization of immigrant workers. Therefore, the choice to be made is to favour working patterns that concur to accumulate competences and to plan active job-creating policies. Through the support of the adaptability of workers and enterprises the programme aims at reinforcing the participation in the labour market and promoting social inclusion and sustainable communities.

Approach

The integrated approach benefites from the implementation of the “Progetto Periferie” (“Working with the suburbs”) which represents, since 1997, an umbrella term that includes a large number of interventions and projects of both national and community initiatives. It operates trough the local “Tavolo Socialedi Mirafiori Nord” (“Mirafiori northern area community roundtable”) based on the partnership among entrepreneurs’ associations and citizens.
The physical interventions of the “Mirafiori Nord Torino” Programme override other actions foreseen as the project wishes to launch the social change through urban renewal and regeneration, meaning that its first steps should focus on infrastructural interventions.

Results

A great number of urban regeneration projects are concluded. They concern infrastructural interventions such as the regeneration of Corso Tazzoli-Via Gaidano-Via Dina road system and Livio Bianco Square and the restoration of the Cascina Roccafranca, some of the main representative places of the area. Moreover, the Urban II Turin Programme gave the possibility to create three new enterprise incubators aimed at helping the enterprises start-up and at supporting them during the entire life cycle. The social inclusion, the fight against exclusion and the cultural growth are pursued through the creation of new local networks. Another important and strategic task accomplished by UrbanII Turin Programme is related to the communication activity (logo designed on an info-bus, logo-totems, newsletters, brochures and conferences).

Beneficiaries

The final beneficiary of the intervention is the Municipality of Turin but the direct beneficiaries are the citizens of Turin and, in particular, of the Mirafiori suburb. Moreover, the students benefiting from the creation of new centres, libraries and schools, the local Public Administration and enterprises strengthened their role and position thanks to the improvement provided by UrbanII Turin Programme.

Resources

The total amount of the intervention is 29 million euros. The European Union co-finances the Urban II Turin Programme through the European Regional Development Fund for an amount of 11 million euros. The national public participation is of 16 million euros of which 9 million euros are national funds whereas the rest is not equally divided among the Region of Piemonte, the Municipality of Turin and other kinds of co-financing, such as the ones belonging to the private investors (Company San Paolo Foundation, Adriano Olivetti Foundation, Diocese of Turin).

EU involvement

Within the framework of the Community Initiative Programmes, the “Mirafiori Nord Torino” Urban II Programme is in line with the European Union main urban features. The “Mirafiori Nord Torino” Programme meets the objectives of the 2000-2006 programming period because it promotes the formulation and implementation of innovative strategies for sustainable economy improvement and social regeneration of a medium-sized town and of a deprived Turin neighbourhood.

Contact info

Ministry for Infrastructure
Ms. Daniela Versino

Project start date

 23/11/2001