"Re-creating a square or... an urban space" is an ongoing national project intending to bring signs of care and meaningful beauty in urban environments of social interaction, both open such as a square, or interior such as schools. It involves students, teachers, artists, experts and stakeholders from a variety of fields to plan, elaborate and create artifacts and installations attentive to sustainability and capable to trigger positive feelings and attitudes.
National
Italy
Rome, Venice, Arezzo, Bari, Bergamo, Catania, Torino
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Liceo Machiavelli Roma, Liceo Don Milani Romano BG, IC Morosini Venezia, Rete Dialogues, Accademia delle Arti e Nuove Tecnologie,Dipartimento Educazione Castello di Rivoli, Cittadellarte Fondazione Pistoletto, Type of organisation: Schools, Art Academies, Museums First name of representative: Elena Last name of representative: Zacchilli Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: head of school Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: piazza dell'indipendenza 7 Town: Rome Postal code: 00185 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 347 428 9169 E-mail:RMIS026008@istruzione.it Website:http://www.ismachiavelli.eu
“RE-creating a Square or … an Urban Space” (RESUS) is a longstanding and still ongoing
educational project of “placemaking”, where students are engaged together with communities,
institutions, artists and stakeholders in participatory actions aimed at improving public spaces,
using art and culture as tools of revitalisation. A main scene of RESUS’ action is “Piazza
Annibaliano” in semi-central Rome. An incredible setting where unique late-Roman monuments
(Mausoleo S.Costanza, Basilica S.Agnese, Catacombs) and leftovers surround a broad modern
pedestrian space close to busy streets, now become discomfortingly degraded. In 2017, 2 schools
nearby-part of Rete Dialogues, a national school network of 30 Italian schools-launched the
initiative “dialogues in the square” and originated RESUS. Students observed the square,
immerged themselves with curiosity in its atmosphere to dream improvements, reflected on current
weakness, desirable functions and possible developments. To date 23 classes-some 600 students
aged 8-19 and 30 teachers-have been involved. Four areas of intervention were identified (2030
UN goals 4.7; 11.4,7; 16.7): 1)INFORMATION PANELS ON MONUMENTS; 2) MURALS
REPRESENTING VALUES AND IDEAS; 3) IMPROVEMENT OF GREEN SPACES; 4)
CULTURAL EVENTS. Several stakeholders were involved (MOU Rome 2 Municipality) and
important art institutions became partners: AANT (Academy of Arts and New Technologies) Rome,
Cittadellarte Fondazione Pistoletto, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Castello Rivoli DE. In 2022 the
first concrete results became visible, despite COVID’s delays, resilience prevailed. Meanwhile
RESUS with its principles, ideas, practices and partners became an umbrella-project inspiring
further placemaking actions in Venice, Bergamo, Bari, Catania, Rome, Arezzo, Turin. Born in a
specific context, RESUS is proliferating in a variety of initiatives within the framework of Rete
Dialogues and is developing an important know-how on placemaking.
Placemaking
Atmospheres
Regeneration
Art
Intergenerationality
The RESUS project sees the urban environment as a learning object where to practice participative
citizenship, leading students to experience effective actions that can have an impact on the context
while tackling traditional learning goals and developing competences acting in the field. As stated
in the official documents (e.g. MOU -Rete Dialogues – Schools, see attach.) sustainability is at the
core of RESUS. There is a specific focus on the following UN 2030 goals/targets: 4.7 ensure that
all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development (the
opportunity to work on concrete objects to share -such as simulations and then planting new trees,
painting murals etc- as a learning by doing experience) ; 11.4 strengthen efforts to protect and
safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage (Piazza Annibaliano as a cultural and natural
heritage in need of regeneration) ; 11.7 provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible,
green and public spaces (making sense of the public space through planned action of regeneration
and care with visible results) 16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative
decision-making at all levels (experiencing decision making on what to plan and do, how to cope
with bureaucracy with resilience as in the case of permissions for murals etc. ). Students are invited
to make sense of these targets reflecting on their actions, expectations and satisfactions, on
obstacles, difficulties and successes faced. What is at stake is the development of a multifaceted
know-how that is fundamental to act on public spaces -open or inner- in the perspective of
sustainability. Indeed the adventures students experience drive them inside the UN 2030 Agenda,
creating an important sense of belonging, as evidenced by the monitoring/evaluation undertaken
and reported in scientific articles that are being published (see attach.).
Aesthetic research represents a central aspect of RESUS both as a process and as a result. Piazza
Annibaliano is the fruit of a redesign completed in 2014, when a new metro
station was opened surrounded by precious late-Roman monuments. Some traits of the planned
beauty are still present, yet the “new” pedestrian space has soon fallen into a discomforting
degradation due to planning mistakes, lack of maintenance, vandalism. After RESUS phase 1,
called “dialogues in the square”, where students were encouraged to analyze problems and dream
solutions, experts and artists joined the project. A main goal was then to co-plan what to do in the
area identified for the work of art: the murals. An innovative interpretation was adopted of the
concept of relational aesthetics, focusing on creating aesthetic experiences capable to involve users
in interactive relationships with the work of art. Therefore the works of art imply: 1) Interactivity:
different points of view intertwin in a co-created process . Graphic designers work with students
and teachers to produce renderings, the content was decided and the artist selected. 2) Participation:
the artist is crucial, yet the final shape emerges from the contribution of participants. 3)
Experimentation: a discovery is experienced by citizens who internalize a new environmental
aesthetic. 4) Collaboration: artist, co-creators and users collaborate. 5) Contextualization: it is
integrated into the social and cultural context where is located and reinterprets it. RESUS first
tangible outcome are Piazza Annibaliano’s murals planned and realized by the well-known artist
Lucamaleonte with students, just completed in Nov. 2022. They represent peacocks resonating with
the late -Roman mosaics of Mausoleo S.Costanza, above the square. They are beautiful and are the
fruit of beautiful processes and practices, implying important emotions. They are inspiring further
beautiful processes and productions in the RESUS project.
In RESUS’ inclusion is experienced day by day in planning and activities, but is also documented
and exhibited as an important value inspiring the project. Various dimensions of inclusion are
experienced. First, the scope itself of the project consists in improving public spaces such as Piazza
Annibaliano through placemaking: carefully co-planned actions implemented with a participatory
approach that implies a variety of actors and stakeholders with different points of views, interests
and roles. The RESUS arena offers great opportunities to understand differences and variety as
important values: they are declared and functional to the expected achievements, but also
experienced in situated contexts. Second, a specific aspect of RESCUS -in that long-term, cross-
school project- is the difference among the students themselves. There is an intertwining of
different strands of students: participants from previous years engage with newcomers in
explaining the aims of the project, what was already done and how they intended to proceed.
“Pioneers” pass the baton to the newcomers, transmitting cultural values, sense of the place
together with their commitment. Moreover, there is a continuous and emblematic sincronic
intergenerational interaction: students of different ages often work side by side and this can support
the sense of community: older students offer scaffolding and support and are perceived as closer
than teachers or experts, meanwhile younger students can emulate more mature schoolmates and
can see the continuity of the activities across time. Third -and crucial- students with disabilities and
difficulties in projects like RESUS find a precious field of expression rich in a variety of
opportunities of seeing their talents acknowledged in original ways and of experiencing interesting
relationships, as evidenced in the monitoring/evaluation and reported in scientific articles published
and forthcoming (see attach.)
RESUS is deeply rooted in the community where Piazza Annibaliano is situated.The square is at the
crossroad of 5 busy streets leading to intensively inhabited areas with shops, restaurants etc.. A busy
place where many people pass through, get buses or underground trains from the new metro station.
It is also very visible from the many buildings overlooking it. Placemaking may have here strong
impact. As said in the intro, RESUS focuses on 4 areas of intervention: 1) History of the
monuments and plants visible in the skyline to be displayed on information panels. Accurate, well
designed panels are being prepared to make visitors aware of the context in a friendly, catchy way ;
2) Murals to represent values and ideas on spaces previously disrupted by vandalism. Much work
has been done: context analysis, formal permissions (necessary for the historical value of the area),
selection of the possible contents and artist, planning. In Nov. 22 the first “real” RESUS outcome
has appeared: coloured picocks inspired by the late Roman mosaics; 3) New green to revitalize
flowerbeds currently neglected; 4) Planning and organization of participatory events to promote
initiatives and keep the square culturally alive. Some important results are achieved, many more are
forthcoming. The number of citizens benefiting of RESUS’ placemaking is indeed relevant. It
ranges from students and teachers themselves, to the inhabitants including old people who spend
much time in the square, shop owners , business people, occasional visitors and tourists, members
of local associations and institutions . There also are thousands of “distant beneficiaries”. They
include readers of the international scientific articles published and forthcoming, the many teachers
who participate in training/dissemination sessions where RESUS strategies and practices are
presented. Recently the national TV (RAI TG2, 29.12.22, 1.098.000 listeners) dedicated a 4’news
service to RESUS (see attach)
RESUS ambitious goals have helped schools and students understanding that, in order to have a substantial impact on a public space, even more on a historical square they had to turn their own voices into a choir and open their project to a larger social level, dialoguing with different “actors”. Indeed, being active citizens does not imply the immediate power to change the social or physical world on your own. Rather, it means being able to recognize the need for further ideas, for contributions and advice. Several co-partners and stakeholders have been engaged in the design and implementation of RESUS. First (2018) a MOU was signed between the school network Rete Dialogues, the 2 initiating local schools (Liceo Machiavelli , IC Settembrini), an important local Association such as “Amici di Villa Leopardi” and Roma 2 Municipality, where Piazza Annibaliano is situated. The MOU supports the beaureacratic sides of the adventure -permissions, insurances etc – and logistics. Second, artistic and technical needs were identified and possible available resources were considered. In 2018 RESUS joined the Rome “Rebirth Forum” launched by the world-known artist Michelangelo Pistoletto in Macro Museum, to figure out how to revitalize Rome through art. The forum offered useful encounters to enrich RESUS’ partnerships. This is the full list of RESUS co-partners 1)Liceo Machiavelli, Roma; 2) IC Settembrini Roma; 3) Rete Dialogues; 4) Roma 2 Municipality; 5) Associazione Amici di Villa Leopardi (logistics, green); 6)AANT Accademia di Arti e Nuove Tecnologie (Communication, visual arts, documentation, artifacts design) 7) Fondazione Querini Stampalia Venezia (understanding of the cultural context, preparation of captions) 8) Cittadellarte Fondazione Pistoletto e Galleria Continua (urban/street art know how, relationship with artists) 9) Università di Bari (psychological and methodological aspects; 10) Castello Rivoli, DE (joining in 2021 with RESUS national expansion).
The RESUS’ with is dynamic interactive planning revealed to be extremely rich in opportunities to
experience a variety of knowledge contents belonging from a transdisciplinary perspective. The
square itself is a multifaceted context as teachers and students soon understood when they started to
look at it with the eyes of “placemakers”. Making sense of Piazza Annibaliano to improve it means
to deal with history, history of religions, art, art history, biology (Mediterranean Maquis) but also
with geology (underground water sources), architecture, reuse design (the square hosts a meaningful
late Roman leftover: the wall of the Abbazia circense). However dealing with an effective
placemaking project also lead students to deal with important disciplines in the field of technology,
communication, semiotics,
RESUS is innovative from several points of view, especially when compared to traditional urban
redevelopment experiences that have involved schools so far. First, the use of experts does not
follow the usual top down approach, sticking to consultative roles, rather experts are co-creators of
the project. This methodological element is central to the success of the project. Generally experts
provide authoritative information or act as mentors and coaches for teachers, supporting their
professional development. In RESUS, they mediate between different knowledge, skills and
resources to achieve a common goal. This co-creation process is based on close collaboration and
active involvement of all participants in defining, designing and implementing the artwork. Students
are taking ownership of a method, through their demands, experiencing the creation of the work
side to side with the artist. Second, innovative is the active involvement of the public in a project
that does not aim at creating permanent alterations in the environment, but intends to bring in a new
reinvigorating beauty, which has an immediate impact, has to be taken care of, and maybe will be
re-built in different ways succesively. Public are co-authors of the projects, who participate in a
significant aesthetic change; yet public are also those who live in the neighborhood or pass through,
who decide to stop for a selfie next to the work of art or invite others to visit the place. The murals
planned and realized are not a simple redevelopment of the urban environment but want to be an
invitation to explore different narratives and links. They will be integrated with QR codes linking to
scientific and historical narratives regarding the contents of the wall paintings prepared by the
students. Third RESUS is innovative for the way it has been able to expand its scope and create a
replicable know-how usable elsewhere.
One of the major satisfaction of RESUS is being the way its kow-how about placemaking is proving to flourish in the experiences of other contexts. As underlined above the project is rooted both in the very specific context where the 2 promoting schools are situated -near Piazza Annibaliano- and in the culture of the national school network Rete Dialogues, focused on global active citizenship education in which the 2 schools are major actors. This has meant to share ideas, concerns and improvement with colleagues along the development of the project in various opportunities of training and research. An opportunity for support -particularly during COVID - but also for dissemination. Hince, in 2021-22, the expansion of the RESUS placemaking project along two directions which soon became branches/sub projects. 1) TRIGITALE project (triangulating schools environment and technologies) lead by Liceo Don Milani Romano di Lombardia (Bergamo). Here 8 upper secondary are involved in Catania , Bari , Rome, Arezzo. Schools implement RESUS strategies and practices, making use of the same co-partners and tools to improve a selected place of their environment with a participatory placemaking. The project was approved/sponsored by the Ministry; 2) FORME SVELATE project (unveiled forms) about placemaking of inner shared spaces in the school establishments to change their traditional dullness into an aware and carefully thought beauty consistent to the “genius loci” of the school. 10 schools are participating in this sub project in Catania , Rome, Venice, Chioggia, Arezzo, Scanzorosciate -Bergamo, Milan, Turin. The initiative is sponsored by local stakeholders and include a teacher training sponsored by the Ministry. Beyond the new expected beauty of each school, a major added value here is the forum of solutions, ideas and strategies that the links between schools and the Rete Dialogues supervision allows. Also students are involved in exchanges of experience.
From a didactic perspective RESUS is inspired by the Trialogical Learning Approach, that is deamt crucial for educational placemaking and has been practiced for long in Rete Dialogues activities . The TLA calls for the construction of the so-called trialogical objects: the learning process revolves around the construction of “objects” addressed to a community that is different from the one in which they are built. To have recipients from another community involves students of all ages in opportunities for confrontation, contamination of practices, and ways of thinking. Therefore, learners become professionals of knowledge building, capable of creating valuable material objects containing knowledge, which can then be exploited outside school or academic contexts. When objects are used in concrete situations, they create further knowledge through processes of confrontation, generation of ideas, and creativity. Learning becomes a strategy to solve emerging problems and to constantly seek new and innovative ideas.
In RESUS students’ plans are conceived as trialogical objects, i.e., knowledge that they create addressing communities external to the school: parents, inhabitants of the area, stakeholders, policy makers (e.g. the municipality) that will watch their videos, brochures, leaflets and get ideas to act on the square or support the students in their planned actions (e.g planting new seeds, drawing ad hoc graffitis and murals). An approach such as the TLA responds with a particular effectiveness to the demands of training competences for the twenty-first century, enhancing the skill to work with knowledge and to contribute actively to the development of modern society (Karlgren et al., 2020). Furthermore, TLA capitalizes on insights coming from the socio-constructivism and the cultural approach by giving relevance to context and situated dynamics.
RESUS can address global challenges in a few ways:
1. Promoting sustainability: By re-designing a space that encourage sustainable behavior, such as incorporating green spaces, promoting alternative modes to experience publi spaces; 2. Building community: By redefining the aesthetics of the square that bring people together and encourage social interaction, RESUS can help address global challenges such as inequality and social isolation; 3. Encouraging health and wellness: By redesigning a square that promotes physical activity, provides access to healthy options, and incorporates green spaces, RESUS can help address global public health challenges; 5. Innovation: By embracing new technologies and materials, RESUS can drive innovation and help address the global challenge of digital transition; 6. Encouraging empathy: RESUS can also help to encourage empathy and understanding by allowing people to see the world from different perspectives. This can help to break down barriers and promote social cohesion, which is important for addressing global challenges.
As illustrated above the in 2023 RESUS is developing along different lines in the 14 schools involved beyond those participating in the activities in Piazza Annibaliano.
In particular : in RESUS Piazza Annibaliano the 4 areas of intervention will complete their work as explained with the information panels (area1, May 2023) further murals in the square to be realized after further discussions with the artist (area 2, April 2023), a redesign of flowerbeds (area 3, April 2023) and the planning of some artistic and cultural events to celebrate the work undertaken and plan further developments (area 4, June 2023)
The schools engaged in the TRIGITALE and FORME SVELATE branch of the project illustrated above will develop their plans and work. The results of what has been undertaken will come together in forums where students from each school will be involved, with the intention of making them aware of how similar values and ideas can be implemented in different ways in different context following the interactions built in each site and the “genius loci” of each of them, achieving interesting results with different journeys.
The opportunity of a coordinated comparison where different groups can show and explain their work, is seen as crucial to make the students experience their sense of individual and collective self-efficacy, having that what they do is acknowledged and become part of something which contribute to the common good and create emotions and satisfaction.
RESUS uses a multi-disciplinary approach to make the square a place that is functional, attractive, and meets the needs and aspirations of the people who use it. By involving students in the design and management of the square, RESUS can help develop a range of competencies related to sustainability, including:
1. Collaboration and Communication: RESUS encourages collaboration between stakeholders and promotes open communication, which can help build trust and understanding between different groups.
2. Creative Problem Solving: RESUS requires people to think creatively about how to address sustainability challenges.
3. Community Empowerment: RESUS empowers communities to take an active role in shaping their own environments, which can foster a sense of pride, ownership, and responsibility for sustainability outcomes.
4. Cultural Awareness: RESUS can help promote cultural understanding and appreciation by highlighting the unique features and values of PIAZZA ANNIBALIANO, which can foster a sense of place and increase support for sustainability initiatives.
5. Sustainable Design: RESUS can help develop design skills and knowledge related to sustainable design principles.
