L’Isola Del Futuro

The project is proposed as a tool to improve planning capacities in the lower Piacenza area. The aim is to enable the existing economic system to prepare more complex and structured projects for the enhancement of the environmental and natural heritage according to UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with reference to direct EU funding lines. The planning of the area will be particularly oriented towards sustainable tourism and mobility, as well as circular economy, starting from its uniqueness, where the coexistence of natural heritage, agricultural activities, energy and waterway infrastructures, and tourism and accommodation initiatives represent a development potential of undeniable value. The short-term results are the active participation and sensitization of the local community and the improvement of knowledge about the area. In the long term, the dissemination of a culture focused on sustainability and participation will initiate co-planning pathways for the regeneration of the area. Activating the local community can change the approach and view of the area and create a greater sense of protection and care, benefiting not only the residents but also the environment itself. The sense of belonging to a particular context can create an attractive value for external users. Design played a crucial role in exploring the area and defining the areas of interest to be intervened in. The collection of data and information on the development of the Isola Serafini area highlighted from the outset the importance and uniqueness of this place, not only from a landscape and environmental point of view, but also in terms of social dynamics. The design was the framework in which all the information gathered took shape and found its place in the definition of a bottom-up design strategy that, starting from knowledge of the area, expanded into a participatory approach aimed at disseminating knowledge and developing the attractiveness of Isola Serafini and of the neighboring areas through the implementation of a “strategic plan for the local development”.