Smortr > Thein Manimekalai Sowrirajan > Conflict Management & Design

Conflict management & Design

An urban planning proposal aimed at resolving conflicts at an immigrant neighborhood by collecting inputs from children of the community.

BRIEF

The Municipality of Milan has embarked on a journey to revitalize its immigrant neighborhoods, and as part of that effort, students of the Urban Policies Design course at Politecnico di Milano were tasked with proposing solutions for revitalization of the area through empowerment, entrepreneurship and strong social inclusive principles.

CHALLENGE

Triulzo Superiore major disconnect from the rest of Milan and the neighboring town San Donato Milanese has resulted in a borderland: an area that is socially excluded from the larger urban area. This in turn, has resulted in deteriorating spaces and public safety concerns and reduced economic vitality.

GOALS

To propose a community Vision Plan, however, that the image of Triulzo Superiore can transform into one of an enhanced borderland, Borderland+. It has the potential to transform into a socially inclusive and adaptive zone that embraces multiculturalism on a whole new level.

IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOOD

Triulzo Superiore sits within the periphery of Milan bordering San Donato Milanese, where it once served as an important gateway into Milan but instead now is a segregated urban enclave – seemingly isolated from its surrounding context – and serving as a dumping ground for many of the contemporary city’s unwanted urban elements.

UNIQUE SOLUTION

The negative perception of Triulzo Superiore as solely a “borderland” must be reversed. Establishing a new sphere of influence between the transit hub and San Martino will stimulate economic development and revitalize the neighborhood - A community for people, rather than a buffer zone within a growing metropolitan region.

PROJECT PLAN

The revitalization exercise of the Triulzo superiore community project lasted a period of 6 months where multiple interventions were made . The area was studied in depth by extensive GIS analysis and physical interventions. Once the problem statement were defined as a social exclusion issue, many attempts were made to asset map, analyze gaps and produce new economies of scale and spheres of influence. The initial strategies included public participation workshops, interactions with government actors, policy analysis, phases formulation, branding, economic feasibility reports, ex-ante outcome projection and a final report that was submitted to the comune di milano and published in academic journals.

AREAS OF INTERVENTION : ANALYZING ASSETS AND PROPOSING STRATEGIES

“— socially inclusive and adaptive zone by revitalizing its physical and social dimensions, enhancing multiculturalism”

FRAMEWORK: BORDERLAND +

The framework consists of one mission: Transform Triulzo Superiore as a socially inclusive and adaptive zone by revitalizing its physical and social dimensions and enhancing multiculturalism

and three overarching goals:

Each geared towards a different portion of the study area; six strategies; and several specific actions for each strategy. Some actions are light, cheap and quick interventions that could be easily implemented within a one year time frame, whereas others require infrastructure improvements or policy modifications, and could take several years to complete.

The problem identification process for Triulzo adopted a rather mixed approach. Grass-root information was collected and complemented with expert information available in the conventional literature. After analyzing the physical and social conditions of the area and working with residents to identify community desires, we developed a framework comprised of design and policy solutions addressing the key challenges in the community.

01 Square of religious tolerance

Considering that a large proportion of San Martino’s residents are immigrants, especially from Egypt, through our field visits we found that many of them practice Islam. This zone, however being that it contains a Catholic church right in its center, should be an area of religious tolerance. It has been an area where residents have lived peacefully amongst each other, despite of their religious or cultural differences.

Looking towards the county of Bulgaria’s square of religious tolerance, we took this as inspiration for our own concept for the community. Additionally, the proposal also includes establishing a bike link connecting the expressway, the neighborhood, the transit hub and the San Donato metropolitan borders to break the barriers

02 Intervention strategies

1. Strengthen local multicultural identity

2. Create recreation opportunities

3. Enhance natural elements

4. Increase public safety

5. Stimulate economic development

6. Create a sustainable mobility district.

03 Phase one: Action plan

Phase 1 will comprise of light, quick and cheap interventions that can be easily implemented within the first 6 months or up to 1 year. These interventions focus primarily on revitalizing San Martino.

04 Phase two: Action plan

Phase 2 will comprise of primarily of infrastructure improvements, where it be for public safety concerns, aesthetic reasons or recreational opportunities. These interventions will require a higher financial investment and more time to get approved.

05 Phase threee: Action plan

Phase 3 will have a more narrow focus on economic development, by completing the final steps in the revitalization process that will help support the area in the long-term and for subsequent inclusion.

Thein Manimegalai Sowrirajan

Architect / Regional Planner / Entrepreneur

in Milan

I love the countryside and its unique puzzle of nature, people, and challenges. My dream is to use my research in rural entrepreneurship, architectural background, and prefab construction experience to improve life in these places.

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