Thematic Network USEAct

Lead Partner Project Partner Host City

CITY OF TRIESTE

Arch. Elena Marchigiani

Deputy Major for Town Planning, Mobility and Traffic, Housing

PILOT TRAINING FOR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES

Seminar 3 – Sustainable cities2-4 December 2013, Brussels

TRIESTE is the capital of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia and is located at the north-eastern end of Italy.

The Region borders Austria on the North, Slovenia on the East (through the Carso Plateau), and the Adriatic Sea on the south.

The Municipality of Trieste covers an area of 84,5 square kilometres, with a population of 211.184 inhabitants (2.499,22 people per square kilometre).

History and Urban Growth: 1718

History and Urban Growth: 1857

History and Urban Growth: 1857

Trieste is one of the main commercial ports of the North Adriatic together with Monfalcone and Koper (SLO).Employment opportunities are mainly related to the presence of the headquarters of institutions, international companies and important industries (Region, Province, Municipality; Generali and Allianz Assurance Companies; Fincantieri, Illy Caffè, Wärtsilä Italia). The presence of SMEs is still poor. Therefore employment is mainly concentrated in the service sector.

Trieste is known as the City of Science, because of the presence of a large University (more than 20.000 students) and of many scientific institutions and research centres (Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, International School for Advanced Studies, Synchrotron laboratory, AREA Science Park – which is the first multi-sector Science and Technology Park in Italy and one of the most important in Europe).

Tourism is a growing sector, with large potentials due to the historical estate, the cultural and sport events offered by the city.

The quality of life is very high, thanks to a rich network of public services and to the beauty and variety of landscapes.

Resources and Potentials Today

USEact Network Topics The USEAct project (2012-2015) aims to achieve urban development and new or improved settlement opportunities for people and businesses taking up residence in existing locations:

- without consumption of further land and at the same time developing real estate economies- making the most of the historic building heritage- reducing energy consumption- cutting back on further infrastructure building/management costs

Our Challenges in the frame of USEactIn Trieste the national and local crisis has been bringing to a standstill of main economic activities. The process started decades ago, but now it is reaching its peak with the closure of large factories and the abandonment of huge areas and buildings.

As for demographic trends, Trieste is facing a stop in the growth of population, whereas the death rate is only matched by immigration. Moreover, the amount of elderly is nearly reaching the 30% of the overall population, showing trends that anticipate European forecasts for the next decades.

In recent decades Trieste has witnessed the change of several background factors that have transformed geopolitical and economic scenarios. Strategies and planning tools must face this new reality: the fall of Eastern trade barriers on the Slovenian and Croatian border and the need for the Government of the City to define new roles and new approaches to development and competitiveness in an increasingly wide and complex territorial frame.

The strategic location and the quality of landscape and services can be recognized as the main potentials to focus on, in order to enhance tourism, agriculture, craft and cultural-scientific sectors. Sectors that can make the city able to attract new population, investments in the renewal of city spaces and further economic activities (mainly in the fields of light production and green economy).

Our ExpectationsExpectations:

Sharing experiences in the field of tools, strategies and projects on the issues of urban re-use

Sharing projects and solutions, in order to increase the energy efficiency and functionality of buildings, with particular reference to historical estate

Deepening strategies and planning tools to manage the issue of properties fragmentation and re-use of brownfields and former military areas

Sharing different approaches to coordinate different institutional actors in charge of planning strategies

Upgrading of skills and competences within the Municipality and the Civil Society

What we will develop:

Planning and building code models in order to minimize the use of resources and further urban growth, to promote the reuse of existing buildings and areas, greater energy efficiency of buildings, participation models

Project experiences aimed to the revitalization of parts of the city by means of economic and comprehensive redevelopment plans

Experiences and tools on participatory processes

A Local Action Plan

Our Issues and Approach

Integrated urban planning (mixing uses, working on different scales)

Community planning (match public and private sector, mix different actors)

ENGAGEMENT OF Urban Local Support Group (ULSG)

LOCAL ACTION PLAN (LAP)

TOPICS- Regenerate abandoned areas (mainly former military districts)- Stop land consumption- Promote reuse of existing spaces and building for new public spaces and facilities in peripheral districts, mixing different uses and social groups

Working on Different Scales

Since the elections held in 2011, the new Administration has started a new frame of urban policies, mainly focused on drawing the new General Town Plan. The plan adoption process will start in December 2013.

GENERAL TOWN PLAN

The target area is a complex part of the city within a peripheral district: social housing, abandoned military areas, public fair, factories

SITE SPECIFIC

The Target Area

The Target AreaFormer Military area(Min. of Defence)

Former Fair (Municipality of Trieste, Trade Chamber, Province)

Former Factory (Private investors)

Former Military area (Municipality of Trieste) – started

Former Military area (Municipality of Trieste) - started

Former Military area (Social Housing Agency) - done

The Target Area1

2

3

4

5

The Frame: New General Town PlanMixing and connecting

1

1

2

2-3

3

4

4

The Hardware (Capitalizing Projects): EU

Urban police station

New Public

Archives (PfC)

New Museum of the

“war for peace” (PfC)

Science Museum

LAP ?

LAP ?

LAP ?

The Hardware (Capitalizing Projects): National and LocalPlan for Cities (PfC - Urban Regeneration Project)Micoaree Project (MP - Community Development Project: Municipality, Social Housing Agency, Public Health Agency, NGOs)

Council housing estate

(MP)

A first Draft of General Issues for LAP

• Start from the “hardware” given by projects for public services (archives, museums), that have already been funded (continuity of Public Action)

• On-going projects are not already closed and completely defined (urban project as an open process)

• Go on with the process of opening to the city abandoned areas, adding new public spaces and places for new economic activities (re-use as re-appropriation of urban space by citizens)

Labs for the restoration of old documents? New spaces for SMEs?

New open spaces and facilities for the neighbourhood?

Local Support Group (LSG): What we have already done

Involved stakeholders:Municipality Departments (town planning, public works and public estate, culture, social assistance, economy)Municipality decentralized bodies and citizensAssociations of architects, urban planners, landscape and conservation architects of the ProvinceBuilding, cultural, economic associations

Participative activities:- technical and public meetings- focus group- topic groupsCitizens have been involved with meetings and questionnaires

General Town Plan

Local Support Group (LSG): What we are going to do

Stakeholders

Municipality Departments (town planning, public works and public estate, culture, social assistance, urban police)Municipality decentralized bodiesState Public Health Agency, Social Housing Agency

Private foundations and NGOs

Civil society and Citizens

University?Professional Associations?Economic and Cultural Associations?

Site specific

How the LSG will be delivered

Technical meetings with different Municipality Departments and public institutions (core group)

One to one meetings (interviews, or small group meetings) with “key persons” representing other stakeholders

Public meetings open to citizens and civil society

Topic groups and Focus groups on specific issues we “discovered” during meetings and interviews

My role in LSG As a political administrator, within a process which is strongly driven by PA

• Promote a participatory process enabling citizens and civil society to be active part of an urban regeneration process (join elective democracy and representative democracy)

• Stimulate the development of new approaches and tools (innovation)

• Ensure the success of the process and the feasibility of its results (efficacy)

• Promote the involvement of citizens not only in the definition of the project but also in its realization (sharing responsibilities and costs)

Long Term and Quick Win SolutionsBig results can also be achieved by means of small (but clever, site specific and participated) transformations

Self renewal of buildings? From the experiences in school spaces

Social urban gardens?

Light interventions for the upgrading of public spaces?

Contact email

www.urbact.eu/useact