We respond to emerging and evolving needs by supporting social housing and road-testing replicable new tools and models for promoting the affordability and sustainability of housing. The infrastructural, housing-related, socio-cultural and neighbourly support dimensions of the urban regeneration projects we promote represent an opportunity to transform the local area according to principles of social and environmental sustainability.
Our work is divided into various areas of intervention.
The Reinventing Dwelling Systems and Regenerating Neighbourhoods Mission, reporting to the People Goal, is tasked with addressing conditions of housing hardship, which have deteriorated since 2020.
It is therefore committed to pursuing its action on the basis of individual, family and collective issues, while at the same time developing new plans for reflection and systemic intervention on housing models, including in relation to the regeneration of urban spaces.
During the period 2020-2024 the most vulnerable population groups experienced greater difficulty in gaining access to housing and retaining it. These groups include young people, who face disproportionately high housing costs in relation to their income; elderly people, who are becoming increasingly isolated in cities, with consequent loss of well-being, independence and social relations; homeless people and people from migrant backgrounds.
All this is compounded by profound social and occupational changes, which are transforming not only the housing needs of growing segments of the population, but also the relationship with neighbourhoods and local areas, sometimes giving rise to new forms of sharing of spaces, time and tools.
We therefore continue to see the need for a multi-disciplinary approach capable of combining architectural and urban-planning factors with social, economic and financial factors that our Mission has tested over the years.
Inclusive and affordable housing
We support the development of inclusive housing and housing security models and initiatives, by promoting social and collaborative housing projects, some of which are unprecedented at national level, such as the Community Land Trust, to meet diverse housing needs.
We pay close attention to people in situations of vulnerability, who are badly affected by the changes taking place, in order to put affordable housing opportunities within their reach.
For young people we have established CAP 18-35, a call for action to support and connect pathways to housing independence and to develop more sustainable, collaborative and inclusive solutions. For elderly people, meanwhile, we have put in place Abitare Villa Mater – a project undertaken in conjunction with Fondazione Ufficio Pio Ente filantropico for the re-purposing of the historic villa as a collaborative residence for longevity, with rented dwelling units, communal spaces and a park open to the public – and the Condominio Solidale Debouché, which offers a model of sharing between Senior Housing and Social Custodianship.
For the most vulnerable population groups and those at risk of marginalisation, we work alongside the Together for Inclusion Mission to support the Territori inclusivi (inclusive places) call for proposals and the development of initiatives focused on housing needs.
Urban regeneration
We promote urban regeneration initiatives that integrate the social, cultural, energy-related and environmental dimensions that are essential features of any inclusive, welcoming and efficient city.
We support the shift away from an approach based on single-purpose urban spaces towards a polycentric city approach, which values proximity and accessibility.
We also pay attention to planning project management costs carefully, so as to ensure the long-term sustainability and continuity of projects.
We work with the Region of Piedmont to promote the development of Commercial Clusters, in the form of multi-actor, multi-purpose governance platforms designed to promote local trade and regenerate the urban fabric in terms of development, innovation and inclusion. In order to help organisations make the best use of the resources made available by the PNRR and other programmes, we have launched two calls for proposals: Prospettive Urbane (urban prospects), aimed at local public bodies, to encourage them to conduct feasibility studies for urban regeneration, and benEfficientiamo, aimed at third-sector and religious bodies, to encourage energy-efficiency upgrades to social housing and social spaces.
Over the years, our action has also taken the form of mission-oriented investment, through two real estate funds dedicated to social housing: FASP (Fondo Abitare Sostenibile Piemonte) and FHSL (Fondo Housing Sociale Liguria). These funds have made it possible to implement projects such as Cascina Fossata, Orbassano 1 and 2 and the ex-MOI, which provide rent-controlled housing for individuals and families with low incomes or specific housing needs, and constitute a driving force for urban regeneration in their local areas.
Practices and processes of land-use planning and transformation
We will support studies and experimental actions that give rise to tools, practices and processes for planning and transforming local areas, in such a way as to combine local development with social cohesion, including through innovative technologies.