Micro Social Habitats Rethinking under-sized apartments more on: http://www.polidesign.net/it/housing

HEI: Politecnico di Milano – Polidesign (Master in Social and Collaborative Housing, Master in Strategic Design) POLIMI-DESIS Lab – Polisocial Main Partners: Milano City Council Housing and Welfare; Fondazione Housing Sociale Funder: Polisocial Place: Milano, Lombardy, Italy

Housing, Neighbourhoods, Social Services, Social Enterprise

The context: Under-sized apartaments: smaller than 28 square meters, spread out in public housing buildings, which, according to a recent law, cannot be assigned and used as permanent houses. Today they are abandoned and often squatted. What to do with them? How to use them considering, for instance, the many “new users” in temporary difficulty in need for some help, but not for a full social assistance? Today we can estimate a mis-expenditure of 4.800.000 euros in Milano for supporting single parents with kids in temporary need. In 2012 Politecnico was requested by the Municipality to help exploring solution for this topic.

393 spread across Milano, of which 217 in the neighbourhood of Quarto Oggiaro.

services spaces

The Project Response. Designing housing related services and solutions for the “new users” (single moms with kids) in temporary difficulty, so as to help them re-gaining autonomy, self esteem, an active role in the society and new job opportunities. A multidisciplinary group of master students was involved for 3 weeks in the project, under the guidance of a team of experts. Co-design sessions with stakeholders were organized. 6 service ideas were delivered and discussed with the public administration.

Actor profile: Municipality of Milano, Housing Council, Social Welfare Council. Objectives: Finding solutions for currently un-used spaces. Finding housing related solutions to help and host single moms with kids in temporary difficulty. Helping single moms to overcome difficulties and find a new job. Better using the public budget for social services. Assets: Under sized apartments are own by the Municipality. Extensive experience in social services. Expectations: The Municipality expected to get ideas about how to orient the policy and therefore the creation of public calls for projects.

Actor profile: Fondazione Housing Sociale. Objectives: Benchmarking themselves as a strategic partner for the P.A. for innovative social housing policies. Exploring and experimenting activities and rules for the emerging function of the “social manager”. Assets: Extensive experience in social housing, service design and innovative pubic-private partnerships. Expectations: The Fondazione wanted to contribute in designing the solutions and reflecting on the replicability of the outcomes.

Actor profile: Polimi DESIS Lab and Master in Social and Collaborative Housing. Objectives: Benchmarking themselves as a strategic partner for the P.A. for innovative social housing ideas and related training. Gaining experience in the field and exposing students to real problems. Assets: Extensive experience in training for social housing design, service design and design for social innovation. Expectations: To contribute in designing the solutions and reflecting on the replicability of the outcomes.

The project was developed in 3 weeks, with an intensive schedule. On field visits and meeting were organised. The final presentation was organised in the Triennale Design Museum in Milano with a wide presence of public and private stakeholders.

CONTEXT SCENARIO IDEAS SERVICES PROTOTYPING

Meeting the Municipality.

Meeting the social services operators.

Visitng the neighbourhood.

Meeting the local inhabitants.

Co-designing with the social services operators and the existing inhabitants Co-designing with Fondazione Housing Sociale

Tools: Personas, Users journeys, Daytime schedule simulations were used to interact with the target communities, in particular for the case of the foreign communities.

Tools: Personas, Users journeys, Daytime schedule simulations were used to interact with the target communities, in particular for the case of the foreign communities.

Tools: Personas, Users journeys, Daytime schedule simulations were used to interact with the target communities, in particular for the case of the foreign communities.

Tools: System maps, Service offering maps and concept draft were used to interact with the social services operators.

Role of Design Design, and service design in particular, helped to define the service and social priorities that would have informed the re-design of the existing spaces and the whole ecosystem around them. It also contributed to connect the new solutions to the need of the neighbourhood and the possibility of creating new job opportunities.

Everyday  life  mgnt  

Training  and  job  

orienta4on  

free4me,  social  life,  integra4on  

Project output and impact: 6 solutions for new services connecting temporary housing, people empowerment and skill building. Considered as a starting point for further experimentations, a first pubic call for proposals has been issued inspired by them.Overall positive reaction from the Municipality which adopted some of the concept for subsequent initiatives.

Everyday  life  mgnt  

Training  and  job  

orienta4on  

free4me,  social  life,  integra4on  

Project output and impact: The 6 solutions were conceived around thee issues: Everyday-life management; Freetime, social life, integration; Training and job orientation. The budget limits intrinsically connected to the public housing system can be largely overcome when considering a wider perspective of mis-expenditures and social consequences.

Everyday  life  mgnt  

Training  and  job  

orienta4on  

free4me,  social  life,  integra4on  

Project output and impact: Specific attention was put to the cultural integration of foreign persons and to the creation of a positive exchange with the neighbourhood.

Successes and Shortcomings/Barriers and Enablers Positive: The introduction of a service perspective as a prerequisite for rethinking the use of spaces in public housing. The involvement of the inhabitants. Critical: The need of changing rules and laws to have more flexible and effective use of the public buildings. The alignment of vision and actions of the various public services operators involved in the daily assistance of the people and management of the building.

Thanks anna.meroni@polimi.it