New outreach services for resilient mountain areas
The project experiments with new outreach services in mountainous areas through new creative languages that educate and generate opportunities in the extreme periphery. Beyond the cities, the countryside and the mountains, there are isolated communities that resist depopulation.
The integrated actions were:
.Participatory outfitting of public spaces to create work spaces
.Awareness raising for sustainable mobility
.Creative residencies to bring skills back to mountain territories
Local
Italy
Piedmont, Inverso Pinasca (TO) and Valle D'Aosta, Saint Marcel (AO)
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-07-31
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): NATworking APS Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Chiara Last name of representative: Guidarelli Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: President and co-founder Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: via cottolengo n.8 Town: Torino Postal code: 10152 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 3661032773 E-mail:c.guidarelli@natworking.eu Website:http://info.natworking.eu/
URL:https://www.natworking.eu/ Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #coworking #coliving #nature #wellbeing #burnout #stresslavorocorrelato #workation #areainterna
URL:https://www.facebook.com/natworking.eu Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #coworking #coliving #nature #wellbeing #burnout #stresslavorocorrelato #workation #areainterna #abitanti temporanei
URL:https://www.instagram.com/natworking.eu/ Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #coworking #coliving #nature #wellbeing #burnout #stresslavorocorrelato #workation #areainterna #abitanti temporanei
URL:https://www.linkedin.com/company/71557324/admin/ Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #coworking #coliving #nature #wellbeing #burnout #stresslavorocorrelato #workation #areainterna #abitanti temporanei
URL:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF5v3wWE1tW_UDH0RPzK4qg Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #coworking #coliving #nature #wellbeing #burnout #stresslavorocorrelato #workation #areainterna #abitanti temporanei
With the aim of bringing new professional skills to temporarily inhabit mountain territories, to increase the endowments of two public administrations (PA) (Saint Marcel in Valle d'Aosta and Inverso Pinasca in Piedmont) and four communities that have chosen to join NATworking, the "temporary inhabitants" project has carried out integrated interventions aimed at equipping public spaces to host digital nomads, increasing sustainable mobility, encouraging commuter cycling, and intergenerational path of environmental and food education for the younger generations.
Actions:
A1) setting up public spaces, widespread system of working environments and quality study.
OUTPUT:
-1 site-specific platform in the courtyard of the former elementary school of Borgata Clot in Inverso Pinasca (TO) with ergonomic workstations;
-modular system of wooden micro offices from two locations positioned in Saint Marcel (AO). One of the structures has been equipped with a solar panel and is energy independent;
-N.E.S.T. Natural Extensible Soundproofing Tool prototype. An environmentally sustainable wood envelope with insulating wool inserts for indoor acoustic comfort.
A2) sustainable mobility, encourage sustainable metro-mountain transport network
OUTPUT:
-1 report with the results of the survey phase and conference "MOVE IN THE MOUNTAIN - New Mobility Challenges and Sustainable Best Practices";
-1 low-impact art residency: 4 murals and two documentary videos.
A3) creative residences to temporarily inhabit the territory
OUTPUT:
-11 professional residencies in a context of work exchange;
-2 creative storytelling workshops and an environmental and food education course with the younger generation of two elementary school;
-a community herbarium and five recipes. The children's stories were entrusted to two plant-based chefs who proposed simple recipes that can be used every day to decrease one's environmental impact.
Working in Nature (NATworking)
Creative residences for temporary residents
Sustainable mobility
Codesign and self-building
Environmental and nutrition education
The project addressed sustainability in different ways for each actions:
A1 fitting out public spaces
GOAL: to decrease the environmental impact of creating furnishings
-use of local raw material:in InversoPinasca,PEFC-certified km0 wood raised and processed in Val Chisone was used;in SaintMarcel, km0 wood raised and processed in the Vallone del San Bernardo (in the Cerisey water-powered sawmill)was used.This choice decreased Co2 emissions from timber production and transport
-the NEST insulation structure was designed with natural materials: environmentally sustainable wood and sheep wool from supply chain waste as insulation.
Functional furniture can be built with raw materials produced in the mountains, supporting local economies
A2 sustainable mobility
GOAL: incentivize sustainable metro-mountain transportation network,raising awareness of communities to decrease environmental impact:a low-impact art residency
-the interregional public seminar "MOVE IN THE MOUNTAINS - New Mobility Challenges and Sustainable Best Practices" has networked virtuous mobility projects,a cue for local governments
-the success garnered through two COLORFUL BIKE TOUR demonstrates that artistic residencies can be organized while decreasing the environmental impact on territories and that one can move by bicycle even in the mountains, just by equipping oneself with adequate bicycle-pedestrian spaces in the territory:the greater the capillarity of the infrastructure, the greater the number of people who will choose bicycles for home-work commutes
A3 creative residencies
GOAL:To raise citizen awareness of the fight against food waste and plant-based cooking
The wk path involved children and families from 2 small mountain villages in creating a choral story about the beneficial properties of local wild herbs.The result of the course was translated into a small recipe book of alpine resilience thnks to the involvement of 2 plant-based chefs who promote healthy,low-impact food
A1 setting up public spaces
GOAL: Set up widespread system of quality work environments.
Public administrations have brought into play closed public spaces to be converted into places open to a community of workers who want to improve their living conditions. The modular and replicable prototypes created are replicable.
A2 sustainable mobility
GOAL: 2 bike tours and wall works to raise awareness of sustainable mobility, cycling tourism, slow tourism
- CONNECTING NATURE, work on the façade of the former Borgata Clot school, future co-working space, which incorporates the elements of communication.
- SCENDERE, work resulting from the study of local history and dialogue with the inhabitants: the hard work of past generations has allowed the latest generations to experience the splendor of the area, but also to "fall downstream" following the dictates of "technocracy."
-REBUS, tells the story of the Inverso Pinasca hydroelectric power plant, whose energy produced would be enough to power the entire valley but, due to market issues, the energy is sold to the state and then bought by the valley's inhabitants.
-RINGS, tells the past, present and future history of the Saint Marcel area. From a distance you see a section of a large tree; as you get closer, each ring of the tree becomes an illustration of the territory.
A3 creative residencies
GOAL 1: professional residencies to temporarily inhabit the territory.
11 work-exchange residencies with professionals who temporarily inhabited the 6 mountain villages triggering innovative experiential processes: TAs benefited from the environmental and cultural heritage in exchange for training for the mountain communities.
GOAL 2: Educate youth on the traditional uses of wild edible herbs.
The workshop empowered a group of young people in collecting testimonies from adults on the traditional uses of wild herbs, making them aware of the role herbs play in the preparation of medicines and nutrition.
All actions were open to the public and inaugurated with the local community through public events.
A1 setting up public spaces
GOAL: To engage and attentive young people under 30 to the issues and needs of inland areas and their communities.
The 12 students from Turin Polytechnic who took part in the co-design and self-building workshop had easy access to the initiative as NATworking APS allocated a budget to make this training and residency course dedicated to young people under 30 accessible.
A3 creative residencies
GOAL 1: Respond to the needs of marginal territories and communities.
Territories and communities expressed needs and, by making available the resources they already had, hosted professionals who could meet them. Money was not the basis of this exchange, which is why this innovative experience was accessible to young professionals who, concurrently with the resolution of the identified need, were able to experience the NATworking service.
The residency also allowed many young people to get involved professionally and get to know new realities with which to start collaborations.
GOAL 2: Create opportunities for the community to meet and compare notes.
The story of the experience of the creative storytelling workshop was proposed to the educating community through two final public events, designed and carried out in collaboration with the teachers of the two schools, which featured the storytelling of the community herbarium workshop with Onda Teatro and projection of the video that collects the stories collected by the children and the performance "La Magica Foresta - Una fiaba ecologica" by Marta Barattia of the Onda Teatro company.
The public administrations of Inverso Pinasca and Saint Marcel are project partners and key players in the involvement of beneficiaries and civil society in this project. Local commercial establishments, hubs and principals of the still-resident community, have been involved in all project activities.
A1 setting up public spaces
To build the structures, we involved local craftsmen who supported the students throughout the workshop process: from the co-design phase to the implementation phase. This allowed the students to have an immersive and extremely educational experience. On the other hand, the local community was fascinated and intrigued by the presence of a large number of young people intent on making structures for their area.
The designs of the modular structures designed and built are available under a creative commons license for NATworking network facilities.
A2 sustainable mobility
The street artists during their residency met with the local community, the primary beneficiary of the intervention. The works created are the result of these encounters.
A3 creative residencies
PROFESSIONAL RESIDENCIES (“it’s a match” call): The impacts resulting from this action were many, such as:
experimenting with the NATworking experience, that is, working in environments surrounded by nature to regain a balance between quality life, work and leisure;
getting to know new territory and/or exploring neighboring territories;
weaving relationships between realities and professionals who have similar visions;
build job opportunities: some residencies turned into real jobs;
opportunity for territories to renew themselves, working with the innovative gaze of young people.
COMMUNITY HERBARIUM: Children from the schools involved were able to interface with adult generations in a constructive way and learn about stories, traditions and cultures related to their territories.
At the local level, the public administrations of Saint Marcel and Inverso Pinasca, which were involved in the design phase of the project. These PAs were chosen because they were part of the NATworking network: the first interregional network of spaces dedicated to study and work surrounded by nature. Specifically, the PAs provided the spaces and facilitated and guided the relationships with the local community.
At the local level, we also involved 2 elementary school with whom we built the community herbarium, local craftsmen to support self-construction actions, wood producers, and the Centre D'Etudies les Anciens Remedes, workshops uses of medicinal herbs.
At the regional level, we see the team of NATworking APS (project leader), composed of young professionals under 35 who coordinated a complex project due to the location of the territories involved, the number of actions and the actors involved.
Also involved at the regional level were the associations Dislivelli, for scientific supervision; ass. Onda Teatro, which managed the creative storytelling workshop with elementary classes; ass. Cantieri d'Alta Quota, contact person for the co-design phase for the self-building action; the street artists who pedaled from the big cities to the municipalities where the actions were held and where they interacted with the communities to define the works of art to be created; the videomaker who then constructed the documentaries of the artistic residency; Sabrina Steriti and Angelo Berton, plant-based chefs.
At the National level: the NATworking principals at the interregional scale (described in more detail later), who hosted the work exchange residencies; Hackustica, a group of young architects working on sound insulation; and the guests at the mobility seminar.
The project is curated by NATworking APS, an association composed of female architects, urban regenerators, and experts in sustainable mobility and community management, with Associazione Dislivelli as scientific referent, Municipality Saint Marcel (AO) and Municipality Inverso Pinasca (TO) and was implemented together with:
- Cantieri D'Alta Quota, design and self-construction
- Hackustica, self-construction and natural sound insulation systems
- PEFC Group of Pinerolo - TracciaLegno, raw material at Km0
- Centre D'Etudies les Anciens Remedes, workshops uses of medicinal herbs
- Onda Teatro, creative storytelling workshops
- Saint Marcel Primary School (AO)
- Pinasca Primary School (TO)
- Ecovillage of Torri Superiore, NATworking presidium that hosted temporary residents
- Borgata Paraloup, NATworking garrison that hosted temporary residents
- La Cevitou Association - Ecomuseo Terra del Castelmagno, NATworking presidium that hosted the temporary inhabitants
- La Tabacca farm, NATworking presidium that hosted the temporary inhabitants
The project also involved, from the design phase, artists Fijodor Benzo - Mrfijodor, Simone Ferrarini - Collective Fx and Michele Rossi - Kronophotofilmmaking and the plant-based chefs Sabrina Steriti - Wellness with Brina and Angelo Berton - Circolo Borgata Granero, and in the operational phase artisans Julien Cerisey and Daniele Salengo.
The project was realized thanks to a well-structured path and the construction of moments of confrontation, such as online meetings (more than 25 for a total of 60 hours and an average of 4 people who participated in each meeting - 101 total steps) and monitoring, as well as in the sharing of space and time during the artistic residencies.
From this shared experience, new project ideas, opportunities for collaboration and dissemination of the actions experienced are emerging.
First result is to have equipped 2 Public Administrations in the interior areas with spaces where they can work and welcome digital nomads and resident workers who can choose to work near their homes, reducing the need to travel to city offices and/or work at home, with 200 square meters of upgraded space and 50 new workstations available to the area.
Beneficiaries of the project were:
- entities and groups interested in the revitalization of soft tourism: 2 public administrations, 7 third sector entities, 5 entities managing food and hospitality services, 1 consortium of wood producers, and 8 startups and farms in the area;
- 12 students who co-designed and self-built with the support of local artisans outdoor workstations and 11 freelancers who experienced NATworking;
- more than 150 residents, children, parents and elders involved in the community journey of workshops and events to create the community herbarium;
- 41 multidisciplinary professionals who worked together to implement culturally-based urban regeneration actions, implementing a participatory path of artistic mediation.
The most significant spin-offs:
- increased local economy, in terms of hosting temporary residents
- increased interest in the issues of regeneration of spaces underutilized by public administrations and slow mobility
- increased interest on the part of young people in rediscovering marginal territories
- employment opportunities: a person hired after the work exchange residency and a new edition of the call it's a match that will see two distinct types of users to differentiate impacts (local and non-local)
- increasing the awareness of new generations about the local heritage they have at their disposal.
Urban regeneration projects rarely consider suburban territories, so we believe that the choice to work in these contexts endows the project with a strong innovative character.
The project is characterized by 3 pivotal actions that together contribute to the achievement of our goal, experimenting with different creative residences in marginal and depopulating territorial contexts. By activating such residences for temporary inhabitants, we have inaugurated a new season of experimentation with community relations: new creative languages that educate and generate opportunities in the extreme periphery, involving and connecting all age groups.
NATworking APS continues to work with a view to creating new services for communities living in marginal territories, with a special focus on young people. Reactivated public spaces and urban artworks to re-signify places, giving rise to territorial garrisons that grow thanks to investments by PA partners and local authorities. The mobility report built on this occasion is a first tool to monitor the impact of the new services. By sensitizing new and old generations to heritage care we aim to promote a change in habits for a more conscious consumption of resources, generating new economies.
The "temporary inhabitants" project consisted of 3 specific actions that worked in an integrated way to achieve the macro objective set: to give value to forgotten territories and their communities. The methodology was experimental and included constant monitoring of the actions through online and in-person meetings at the end of each artistic residency and workshop. In particular:
- as part of the IT'S a MATCH!? call, a questionnaire was administered to the 11 participants that collected testimonies on the conduct of the work exchange, skills deployed and critical issues faced. An online focus group was, in addition, conducted on July 11, 2022, involving some participants and the managers of the residency host facilities;
- the results of the survey related to sustainable mobility in the municipalities of Inverso PINASCA and Saint Marcel were presented and discussed during the online conference "MOVING IN THE MOUNTAIN - New Mobility Challenges and Sustainable Best Practices" on June 2022, to an audience of industry professionals. A report compiling voices and visions of the participants was produced;
- follow-up and monitoring meetings were held for each project action at the end of the individual initiatives, also aimed at reporting purposes.
- are planned our monitoring and support activities to the public administrations of Inverso Pinasca and Saint Marcel, even after the end of the project, to achieve the goals set for the end of 2022.
The whole project can be readapted to different territorial contexts, taking care to get to know the new territory and make any changes related to the specific context. We are already working to make the service widespread and spread it nationwide. The activities carried out within the Temporary Inhabitants project have allowed the NATworking APS association to make itself known also at the national level: new recognitions and proposals for future projects to expand the network of mountain regenerated spaces have arrived, including on other regions. First recognition, of all, was the Legambiente 2022 Green Flag award, which recognizes the project as a virtuous and sustainable practice for mountain and inland areas of Italy. Through this award we became part of the CAROVANA OF THE ALPS network, which aims to fuel the national debate on the development of mountainous inland areas.
From the meeting with exponents of different entities engaged in fostering public policies for local development, a new framework agreement with UNCEM - Union of Italian Mountain Municipalities was born, which we are developing in this period, which will lead to promoting the regeneration of underutilized and abandoned spaces of public administrations for the creation of new territorial hybrid garrisons suitable for hosting spaces for work and study in mountain areas.
In addition, the virtuous relationship established with the Municipality of Inverso Pinasca has been noticed by the Escarton and Valli Valdesi LAG, with which we have presented a project to spread the good practices experimented in Inverso Pinasca to 4 different valleys in Piedmont (Val Susa, Val Chisone, Val Germanasca and Valle Pellice) through the call dedicated to the SMART RURAL HUBS of the NATIONAL RURAL NETWORK.
Finally, we plan a second edition of the It's a Match call that has brought much value to marginal territories.
The project addresses many global challenges, to list a few:
- sustainable commuting/mobility: creating garrisons for study and work in suburban environments;
- work/life balance: devoting less time for home/work commutes implies a reshaping of one's lifestyle. At the same time, remote workers from cities can experience alternative lifestyles where leisure time gains value;
- Develop sustainable lifestyles that prevent work-related stress and burnout: maintaining hectic lifestyles is not good for health. It is necessary to experiment with alternative lifestyles, possibly fostering contact with the natural world;
- Reactivation/reconversion of underutilized public spaces: use of public built heritage. Unused buildings are a major expense for small public administrations because they require necessary maintenance;
- using km0 materials to make artifacts: increasing the local economy so that indigenous traditions and cultures carried on by local artisans do not die;
- depopulation of inland areas: enhance resources in remote mountainous areas and activate others to create real alternatives for young people who want to experience other lifestyles. Depopulation of inland areas is an urgent issue: the remaining population is purely elderly and, as such, needs primary welfare services. Their presence is most important for the care and protection of the naturalistic territory.
