It is against this backdrop that the research report Valentino Masterplan was presented to the City, offering a strategic analysis of the role of the river park and, more generally, of the relationship between the network of green spaces and the urban river infrastructure. The research outlined a vision for the renewal of Turin’s city centres, suggesting – in line with the transformations of the 1990s linked to the Spina Centrale – a new phase of regeneration based on the enhancement of the River Po, its parks and the cultural heritage associated with it.

The study formed part of the policies promoted by the Department for Urban Care, Public Green Spaces, Parks and Rivers, building on initiatives relating to the regeneration of the riverbanks and the restoration of navigability on the River Po. This gave rise to the opportunity to extend the study to the entire Turin river system, with the aim of constructing an integrated and complementary narrative of urban centres, capable of bringing together urban and extra-urban green spaces and enhancing the ‘comb-like’ structure of the watercourses and adjacent areas.

The project was formalised in a memorandum of understanding between the Polytechnic University of Turin and the Compagnia di San Paolo, which supported its implementation. This gave rise to a two-year work programme, based on close collaboration between the municipal administration and the research group, under the supervision of the Foundation. This report sets out its outcomes, content and prospects.

NB – LOW-RESOLUTION DOWNLOAD – PLEASE CONTACT US TO RECEIVE THE HIGH-RESOLUTION FILE

The post Turin and its rivers appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

Seminar
Drawing on the research accounts of three DIST PhD students, the seminar will explore water-sensitive design at
various scales. From the Water Sensitive City to the individual resident’s psychological perception of risk,
via infrastructure failures at neighbourhood level. Drawing on experiences from Europe and Latin
America, the seminar will discuss the spread of water-sensitive practices, resilience in river areas and the
design of spaces for rainwater in areas prone to flooding.

Book launch
The book Drought: Thresholds and Escape Routes in the Fight Against Climate Change in China by Andrea E. Pia explores the
growing water supply crisis through an ethnographic study of a rural
minority community in China threatened by climate change.

The post Designing with Water appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

During the event, a summary of the results of the two projects – DIATI’s ARIA P@LIT@ and LIBRA – La Biblioteca dell’Aria, supported by the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo – will be presented. These projects were developed using an integrated approach that combines laboratory models, numerical simulations and field surveys, with the direct involvement of the public in environmental monitoring through the free loan of sensors.
A comparison of models, measurements and public participation to outline new strategies for managing air quality and the urban microclimate.

 

Participation in the workshop is free of charge, subject to registration via the following form (subject to availability): REGISTRATION FORM.

Participating engineers and architects will be awarded 3 CPD points.

The post Air Quality and the Urban Microclimate appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

Beini Ma’s research explores the environmental, physiological and behavioural mechanisms at play in complex urban waterfronts. The case studies are Shichahai in Beijing and Parco del Valentino in Turin.

The post Access to water bodies in urban areas appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

Starting from the widespread presence of ground-mounted photovoltaic plants in Italy, the study explores how decommissioning and revamping processes can become an opportunity to rethink the relationship between energy production, landscape, and agricultural systems. Through territorial analyses, GIS-based tools, and design experiments developed in different Italian contexts, the research proposes strategies and spatial models aimed at transforming existing photovoltaic fields into next-generation “solarscapes”, integrating energy production with ecological and landscape objectives.

The work is the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration between research teams from the Politecnico di Torino, the Politecnico di Milano, and the Università di Torino, combining expertise in architecture, landscape design, and agronomy to develop tools and visions that can support future policies and practices for the transformation of energy landscapes.

The post Designing forms for future solarscapes appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

The project, coordinated by Elena Vigliocco (Politecnico di Torino), involved three research units:

Politecnico di Torino (RU1),

Politecnico di Milano (RU2),

Università  di Torino (RU3).

The research addressed the regeneration of ground-based photovoltaic fields at the end of their life cycle, not as an energy issue but as an opportunity to rethink urban morphologies and productive landscapes in Italy. The architectural, territorial, landscape, and agronomic dimensions of existing energy infrastructures are the core of the project, exploring strategies for decommissioning, revamping, and reuse within a broader framework of ecological transition and design innovation.

All three research units will participate in the event, promoting involvement for those interested in the topic; and engaging in a discussion of the project’s outcomes, future perspectives, and implications for planning and designing energy landscapes.

The event will also be an occasion to present the book:

Designing Forms for Future Solarscapes. A Vision for the Italian Palimpsest, Elena Vigliocco (edited by), 2025, LetteraVentidue.

The volume shows the scientific, cartographic, and design outcomes of the research, offering both a theoretical and operational reflection on Italian solar landscapes. It includes comparative atlases and a series of design scenarios developed for the reconfiguration of end-of-life photovoltaic fields in three selected case studies.

The book is available in open access at this link.

A second presentation of the PRIN research results and the volume will take place on:

Tuesday, 3 March, 2:30 p.m.

Department of Architecture and Urban Studies

Sala consiglio, Edificio 29 “Carta”, Politecnico di Milano – Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 26, Milano

The post Next Generation Solar Landscapes appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

Developed between September 2025 and February 2026 by more than 50 international students of the Master of Science in Architecture for Sustainability (MASt), the design studio approached the Bormida as an environmental and social infrastructure capable of connecting landscapes, communities and productive practices. The river was observed not only in its physical and biological dimensions, but also as an archive of memories and as a possible structural framework for new forms of inhabiting, production and (not only human) use of the territory.

Through maps, drawings, models and installations, the exhibition presents the outcomes of research and design proposals that explore the relationships between water and communities, landscape and territorial infrastructures, highlighting often latent potentials and offering a reading of the river as a shared space of design.

The inaugural event will be held on Saturday, 21 February 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Silk Museum of the former Monesiglio Spinning Mill and represents the final stage of a research and project that lasted almost five months, involving over 50 students from 21 countries.

The post Interfaces in Valle Bormida vol.1 appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

Air pollution was the first environmental phenomenon to emerge as a public issue to be addressed politically and legislatively as early as the middle of the last century. It therefore plays a key role in the complex relationship between anthropogenic transformations of the environment, the environment itself, and our awareness of our role as humans.
Even today, different interests converge and clash around air pollution and, in particular, around the issue of air quality, giving rise to complex political dynamics that directly involve citizens, as well as technological devices, scientific practices and institutions.

Air pollution is therefore an area in which to observe and experiment with ways of monitoring, managing and transforming our environment and our daily practices that may have broader relevance than the issues raised by climate change. This is also because air pollution has complex relationships with the dynamics of climate change and, in particular, global warming.

The post Let’s get some fresh air. appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

Through a teaching program about air quality, developed with high school teachers and the National Association of Science Teachers, students learn about sensor technology, environmental science and the health impacts of pollutants. Students collaborate in collecting data on particulate matter, temperature and monitoring their perceptions, validating air dispersion models and exploring how environmental conditions affect their well-being. By not just observing, but inviting those involved to assemble, measure, analyse and represent, the SCoolAir programme builds a replicable educational model that strengthens the links between schools and universities.

SCoolAir is a project conducted within the framework of the European call HE Impetus.

The post SCoolAir appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

A second training module entitled ‘Protecting the Future’, organised by PoliTO per il Sociale, will illustrate theories and practices on the themes of participation and co-design.

The addressees of the initiative are young administrators, under 35 or newly appointed, and young people under 29, in order to approach active citizenship paths by reducing the gap between politics and institutions, addressing topics that aim to increase passion for the common good, public commitment, value ethics and aimed at deepening topical issues.

At the end of the cycle, FULL issues a report to summarise the themes and methods of the initiative, a charter of intentions with the motions expressed by the course participants to be submitted to the administration, and the four-episode podcast ‘Zeta’.

Course program

March 21, 2025 – Visions for a fairer future

• At OGR
• Loris Servillo, Mauro Fontana, Erica Mangione, Manuela Ronci – Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL
Presentation of the course program and objectives.
Lecture on the challenges of planning and managing contemporary cities and the importance of thinking about the city of the future in the context of the “just city,” in line with SDG 11 of the UN Agenda: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”

March 28, 2025 – Regeneration of urban spaces & community spaces

• Presso Scuola primaria “G. Parini” – Corso Giulio Cesare 26
• Cristiana Rossignolo – Politecnico di Torino, Monica Postiglione e Anna Pratt – esperte della materia
Spazi di comunità come hub ibridi sociali-culturali.
• At the “G. Parini” Primary School – Corso Giulio Cesare 26
• Cristiana Rossignolo – Turin Polytechnic, Monica Postiglione and Anna Pratt – experts in the field
Community spaces as hybrid social-cultural hubs.
The presentation will explore the role of urban regeneration of common goods in Italy, analyzing approaches, policies, and tools available to cities and citizens. We will start from the experience of community spaces as cultural hubs, highlighting their impact on urban dynamics and social and institutional innovations. Within this framework, we will present the results of the SPAZI DI COMUNITÀ (COMMUNITY SPACES) research project, carried out in 2024 by NUVAP (Nucleo di Valutazione e Analisi per la Programmazione, Evaluation and Analysis Unit for Planning) at the Department for Territorial Cohesion of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, as part of the SI.VALUTA project. The research analyzed these practices at the national level, with a focus on significant experiences in the Turin area.

April 11, 2025 – Space justice and social justice in the transition towards fairer roads.

• At the Mollino Room of the Valentino Castle
• Gabriele D’Adda and Elisa Vitale – Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL
Reflections, starting from the “Just Streets” project, on spatial justice and social justice in the context of the transition to active and sustainable mobility and the creation of fairer streets. In order to make the transition from car-dominated streets to public spaces characterized by active mobility and a variety of uses, it is essential not only to take into account but also to prioritize the needs and visions of social groups that are often underrepresented in urban planning. A “critical walk” is planned in the pedestrianized area of San Salvario.

May 9, 2025 – Green/blue infrastructure and the environmental transition

• At OGR
• Manuela Ronci and Tymon Wolender – Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL
Strategic planning in river environments
The first part of the meeting will take the form of a lecture and will consist of a theoretical introduction, an overview of the evolution of the main planning approaches, and an in-depth analysis of international case studies, characterized by different focuses and scales of intervention.
The second part of the afternoon will be dedicated to workshop activities. Starting from a reflection on key issues in the transformation of urban river areas, related to the content of the lecture and applicable to the context of Turin, the workshop will aim to identify areas with regenerative potential and to develop macro-objectives/strategies/actions that could potentially be applied in the river areas of the city of Turin.

May 23, 2025 – Digital infrastructure

• At OGR and the nearby Energy Center
• Maria Ferrara – Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL/EST@EnergyCenter team
Digital Twin and climate city contract
The meeting aims to outline the potential offered by digital twins on an urban scale to support the design, implementation, and monitoring of sustainability policies for cities. In this regard, the European context will be analyzed, and in particular the response of pilot cities to the EU Mission “Climate Neutral and Smart Cities,” including the City of Turin. The meeting will conclude at the Decision Theater of the Energy Center of the Polytechnic University of Turin, with a demonstration of the current capabilities of the digital platform under development to support the drafting and monitoring of the Climate City Contract of the City of Turin, outlining its potential for further development and replicability in other urban contexts.

June 6, 2025 – Intangible culture – data and citizen science

• At Officine Creative (Cecchi Point)
• Sofia Fellini and Tommaso Listo, Polytechnic University of Turin/FULL
Data and citizen science
The meeting will be structured as follows: 1) a theoretical lesson on citizen science as a practice of knowledge construction and exchange between the public and institutions; 2) a visit to La Biblioteca dell’Aria, a citizen science project based at Officine Creative; 3) a workshop activity, in which participants will be asked to work in small groups and propose a possible citizen science project on issues relevant to their local areas, to be discussed collectively.

June 13, 2025 – Young people and public engagement

• At OGR
• Loris Servillo, Mauro Fontana, Erica Mangione, Manuela Ronci – Politecnico di Torino/FULL
Final lesson in which participants are guided through a review of the course content, with the aim of presenting their images of the city of the future through two in-person activities:
• Drafting a letter of intent to be presented to the City of Turin
• The creation of an informative podcast together with a radio communication expert

PROTECTING THE FUTURE – curated by PoliTO for Social Issues

June 19, 2025 – Theories and practices on participation and co-design
• At Castello del Valentino or online

June 26, 2025 – Practical workshop on participation and co-design
• At Valentino Castle

The post Challenges for the contemporary city appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.