REGENERATING THE SUBURBS : HOW DO YOU TURN A DISCUSSION INTO A LABORATORY?
How do you transform a political debate into a laboratory of ideas? This is the question Benedetto Camerana will address on July 2nd at the “Designing Security” meeting, dedicated to discussing the degradation and regeneration of the suburbs. Organized by ORA!, the meeting will focus on Northern Turin, a complex area marked by social and urban fragility and often a site of intense political conflict. In a debate that easily risks being reduced to political conflict, Camerana’s contribution will seek to shift perspective, focusing on planning tools that can truly improve the quality of life and integration in the most vulnerable neighborhoods.
Architecture and urban planning, of course, cannot solve complex social problems on their own. However, they can create the conditions for a space to be lived in, traversed, and recognized as a common good once again. The quality of public space, services, greenery, and urban functions is an integral part of safety. Obviously, where there is physical decay and social and interpersonal problems, the problems are more acute, and the urban fabric is more difficult to reconstruct.
Camerana will bring virtuous examples to the area. Among these is the redevelopment of the former Flower Market, now transformed into the GoFit sports center. An abandoned and degraded site has become a space dedicated to health and wellness, frequented daily by thousands of people. Camerana worked closely with GoFit, a Spanish company, to invest in such a project not only in Milan, where they initially asked him to work, but also in Turin. Our project preserved as much of the existing structure as possible and also redesigned the surrounding public space, giving the city a public garden, designed to integrate with sports activities and the neighborhood. An open space that thrives precisely because it’s embedded in a network of functions and relationships. It’s a concrete example of how a lived-in and traversed space rarely becomes a place of decay, or a generator of decay. Another example is that of Sermig (for which Camerana designed the Maria Madre dei Giovani Church). The Arsenale della Pace has been operating for years alongside one of the city’s most problematic hubs, a site of drug dealing and consumption, demonstrating how acceptance, discipline, and responsibility can contribute to building integration and coexistence. Camerana will also draw on experiences such as the Ettore Fico Museum, which for years has been an important cultural hub in Barriera di Milano, an island of culture integrated into the neighborhood in tandem with EDIT’s offerings. He will also look to future transformations, starting with Metro Line 2, in whose construction we are participating. Thanks to an extraordinary effort by the city, Line 2 will have an extended S-shaped route, crossing various zones and connecting different areas of northern Turin, currently separated from each other and from the rest of the city. This will give economic stability to the neighborhood and could support its development and redevelopment.
Security does not come from control alone. It is the result of a city capable of offering vibrant, well-maintained spaces, services, culture, sports, mobility, and opportunities for social interaction. Urban planning can contribute to building these conditions, transforming spaces into shared and coexisting spaces.