The Afterwards of a Dream
How the square S.S. Patroni will change in years
It has been a while since the Co-Design session, the family organized with some neighbours of Lorenteggio district, and Elena along with Angelo’s help worked in defining the final insights into a realistic and feasible project.
Their kids, Sofia and Edoardo also contributed in shaping the final proposal, sometimes giving some ideas to the brainstorming phase, other times helping with the research about the elements they would want to add into the square, and there were other times when the kids just added the smiles and laugh into the family, by telling a joke, saying something funny.
Along the process, the urban association of Lorenteggio was in a sort of way involved, at least they maintain communication with Elena and Angelo, to know how the project was going. The best part was that these persons were completely flexible and open about the family’s proposal and objectives.
Elena also learned through all this time, about the serious proposals of the Municipality of Milan, and the objectives for the next 10 years, how they plan the Piazze Aperte program will evolve, etc. She finds great the fact of living in a city where they care about giving value to the public space in the neighbourhoods.
Today Elena is preparing herself to the upcoming speech she is giving to present the project, she still feels a little bit overwhelmed by how everything changed, even herself, a few months ago she was only a lovely mother and a housewife, yet happy. But now she is doing something bigger not even just for her family but also for her friends, her neighbours, and her city. She met wonderful people through the whole process, that helped and gave their insights.
She starts to read the paper again, in the end she knows she does not need it, but it helps her to keep in order her thoughts and calm her down. She already knows what she would like to express to the public that is going to attend the presentation. The first part is to make the public engaged with the proposal for the 2020, like this, the project will prosper, and it can be improved by the 2030. To make this possible the family came up with solutions that would need the help not only of themselves, but also of the neighbours, with this technique these persons can feel more involved and linked with the new square by donating some money or organizing crowdfunding to the art area proposed in-kind donations for the flower and plant pots, or the scaffolding materials for the furniture the family designed in order to have a nice rest zone in the Square, her mother Adele will thank very much this addition.
She felt very relieved once she learned that there are some elements that the Municipality of Milano can take care of thanks to the Piazze Aperte program.
Deciding which activities put in the square was also not an easy task, mostly because of the main priorities the project was based on, other activities were discarded because they found out they were not so necessary, and other ones were just kept for the 2030 proposal. In this way, she hopes by the end of this year, Sofia and Adele can go and spend some time in the square together, in the meantime, Sofia plays in the floor games area, her grandmother can easily keep an eye on her from a rest area. Angelo would go every now and then to enjoy the urban gardening area, meanwhile, Eduardo tries to impress with his music skills the foreign girl that lives in the building.
It is almost dinner time; Elena puts away her speech notes and goes to meet her family.
Beyond the Dream
Sofia is getting ready to go out, she is about to meet a friend in the S.S Patroni Square, they are going to meet to update how their lives are going on. Not so much ago Sofia graduated from the university and she is about to start her master’s degree. Yet she must decide in which university study, she has been admitted to the Politecnico di Milano, but also in the Sapienza University of Rome, and right now she is too confused, she does not want to leave her city, but also the growing up and moving in another part seems quite exciting. And this reunion with her friend makes her feel especially sentimental because of the memories she has about the S.S Patroni Square, in a sort of way she sees the Square like it was a mirror, both evolved and completely changed in the last 10 years, she appropriated the square and wonder how many persons in the neighbourhood feel the same emotional link to this special space, a nostalgic but yet happy smile appears on her face.
Now the S.S Patroni Square does not have anymore the coloured tires for plant pots but properly bed boxes that are part of beautiful metal structures that allow the plants to climb and create nice mini environments that provide shadows in the different areas of the square.
The art area now collaborates with a different local artist to put temporary exhibitions and the music area, a piano on the floor has been installed on the floor, that makes the evenings so funny with the presence of people, the S.S. Patroni Square now is a landmark of the neighbourhood, and it still welcomes people from every age and background. The colourfulness and socialness that characterized the square not only has not faded away but has increased.
Later, Sofia comes back home, this evening her brother is visiting the family to have dinner together. She has been thinking all day, and a lot of thoughts have crossed her mind during her moments in the S.S Patroni Square. Seeing how the space is alive and active, gives her chills, seeing the kids playing in the fountains, seeing how they appropriate the space as she did before, gave her the idea that the public space is always in constant change and evolving, yet people are creating emotional links with it that will last for a long time, no matter what, making it a place.
This last thought clears her mind and finally she is ready to tell her family her final decision about the university.
TEAM 4
Angelica Almogabar, Tugba Dilmen, Giulia Mauri, Licia Rocca, Camilla Valori
