Civic Tech Party

We would like to thank all those who took part in the event Civic Tech Party - Digital Civic Technologies for Communities the hybrid-mode seminar (in-person and online, with free admission) aimed at the university community and local stakeholders to discuss the opportunities offered by digital civic technologies for the production of public value with a view to equity and sustainability.

CIVIC TECH PARTY was organized by the Territories and Digital Communities research group a the Computer Science Department of the University of Turin, in collaboration with CPS - Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, UNCEM - Unione Nazionale Comuni Comunità Enti Montani and ANCI PIEMONTE - Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani.

It was hosted at the Sala Lauree Rossa at CAMPUS LUIGI EINAUDI - Lungo Dora Siena, 100A - TORINO, on Wednesday, October 5 - from 2:30 to 6:30 pm.

The proposal was part of the calendar of the Festival of Sustainable Development, promoted by Asvis - Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development, the largest Italian initiative to raise awareness of civil society on the issues of economic, social and environmental sustainability, which is divided into traditional in-person and online events to encourage discussion, share the best initiatives and stimulate demands that from below commit the country’s leadership to the commitments made at the UN with the 2030 Agenda.

For those who were not there and for those who want to keep track of the issues addressed, here is the link to listen back to the seminar: https://bit.ly/3RVFY81

For easier enjoyment, we leave indication of the program of the speeches, moderated by Monica Cerutti:

• Opening > Guido Boella - Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Turin for the promotion of relations with businesses and business associations and for coordination with industrial innovation initiatives in the territory and scientific head of the research group Territories and Digital Communities
• at minute 19:00 > Marco Bussone, UNCEM President: “Places of community:restarting from villages to regenerate territories”
• at minute 40:19 > Giacomo Pettenati of the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society: “Right to mountains and digital technologies: from infrastructure to the exercise of citizenship”
• at minute 56:40 > Michele Pianetta, Vice President with responsibility for Innovation and Smart Cities of ANCI PIEMONTE: “Piedmont: innovation and development of mountain and rural communities”
• at minute 01:06:00 > Laura Cantarella of OSTANA - SMART RURAL 21: “Smart Villages for rural communities: the case of Ostana”
• at minute 01:33:28 > Claudio Schifanella, Eloheh Mason and Cristina Viano: “Presentation and demo of FirstLife, geo-referenced civic social network, and CommonsHood, Blockchain-based wallet app.”

We will work to ensure that this is only the first in a series of events, because, as emerged yesterday afternoon, it is increasingly urgent to be able to establish alliances and collaborations with territories and communities in order to transfer the skills needed to kick-start a concrete revitalization process.

And digital civic technologies can play a key role.

Thank you and see you at the next Civic Tech Party!

NEB FESTIVAL

June 9-12 saw the first edition of NEB FESTIVAL, the international event organized by New European Bauhaus: beautiful, sustainable, together, the European program dedicated to giving voice, visibility and resources to those dedicated to designing and implementing collective and participatory actions to improve cities and the quality of life of their inhabitants.

The event was declined into 4 sections:

• MOBILE FAIR in Brussels = exhibition in itinerant form in the main squares of the city center on environmentally sustainable mobile means (light mobility), such as bicycles and electric vehicles
• FIXED FAIR with fixed stands at the Brussels Maritime Races, an excellent example of sustainable reuse of industrial architectural heritage
• SITE SPECIFIC with simultaneous events in major European cities
• FORUMS (offline and online) with a calendar of meetings and debates to reflect together on the future of the built environment.

Our digital civic technologies FirstLife and CommonsHood participated both as exhibitors during the mobile fair and as guests at the site-specific event “A Day at Porta Palazzo” in Turin at the Porta Palazzo Central Market (Piazza della Repubblica), in collaboration with the City of Turin, Links Foundation and The Gate Porta Palazzo.

Being in Brussels allowed us to fully grasp the interdisciplinary and inclusive soul of the NEB movement and to lay the groundwork for future collaborations with many entities that, like our research group, are dedicated to the design and implementation of processes and tools to facilitate civic participation, to promote and facilitate co-design processes intended for communities in cities and territories, and to improve the production and preservation of common goods.

During the Turin event, we had the opportunity to consolidate relationships and collaborations with some of the realities that work in the urban landscape and with whom we share the urgency of continuing to build together a city capable of responding to contemporary needs for sustainability, inclusion and beauty, starting from the awareness that active citizenship and a forward-looking political vision are the sine qua non conditions for giving concreteness to the future of the spaces and ways in which we live.

Almost a year ago, at the launch of the NEB program, artist Olafur Eliasson said, “The change of perspective happens when to the question: who is the audience? we manage to answer, Oh, it’s me, it’s also me, not just me!” And we can say that this shift in perspective is happening and that NEB has the strength to bring together the proposals and actions of individuals to give birth to a movement that will truly be a promoter of a reconversion of the way we think about the future and live in the present, that will be a megaphone to demand change, inspire policy and give voice to ALL voices. As Carlos Moreno made clear during his speech, we no longer have time to hope for things to change, we must demand it. We, for our part, will continue unceasingly to improve our civic technologies as a tool that can offer a digital world that does not replace the physical world, but on the contrary can make it more sustainable, beautiful and inclusive.

To learn about the projects featured at the fair and listen again to the forum speeches visit: NEB Platform or the gE.CO Map where we have mapped some of the most significant realities present in Brussels.

ROME - Riscatti di città (Cities Redemption)

Palazzo Merulana is a symbol of the regeneration of the city of Rome, it hosts Riscatti di città, an exhibition project about contemporary urban development of Rome. Curated by TWM Factory and H501 City Hub, in collaboration with CoopCulture.

Since 2019, the young creative hub TWM Factory has been focusing on the exploration of the city of Rome, targeting places and methods of regeneration. The exhibition displays two large maps, one dedicated to abandoned buildings and redeveloped places (around 430) and the other one to informal cultural centers (more than 250) which, as Nicola Brucoli, one of the curators, explains: “informal cultural centers are demonstrating their regenerative power of territories and communities, just think that 30% of these have opened in the past two years and that more than 50% are run by people under the age of 35".

The two maps are also available online on the interactive crowd-mapping platform **https://riscattidicitta.firstlife.org/ **co-created with the Computer Science Department of the University of Turin, using the FirstLife tool. The online maps tool represents an opportunity to involve citizens in mapping and as well as in testing new models of governance that allow all urban actors to be active players in the process of social recovery, eco-centredness and digital transition of the contemporary urban environment. In addition to the maps, the exhibition includes two photographic projects, a series of illustrations, a green installation and a gallery of ongoing projects in the field of urban planning and sustainable mobility, an urgent issue, especially in a complex city like Rome.

The mix of examples and projects, research and media suggest that “Riscatti di città” is an opportunity to build a collective dialogue, in which young people are the key actors. (It should be the responsibility of the institutions involved, the politicians and also of the economic world to capitalize on the ideas brought together by this exhibition project) 

Nowadays, regeneration is a choral action that crumbles as soon as the soloists impose themselves by virtue of better performances. It is time to subvert the narrative!

For info on the exhibition and for the calendar of related events: https://riscattidicitta.it/

FirstLife goes back to school!

FirstLife - the civic social network developed by the Social Computing Group of the Computer Science Department of the University of Turin - has restarted its teaching activities in primary and secondary schools in the context of civic education courses.

The aim is to raise awareness among young people on issues of public interest, using digital technology as a tool to amplify the real and to give voice to the specific needs of adolescents, which are often under-represented.

The involvement of schools began in 2016 with the TeenCarTO project, carried out in collaboration with the geography research group of the Department of Culture, Politics and Society; a project that arose from the request of the Turin City Council’s Youth Policies Department to understand the way teenagers live and relate to the territory and urban spaces. This was the start of a process of co-designing the city WITH young people, which is now being channelled into a single platform, called EDU, a large container in which to collect and keep track of all the considerations, analyses and proposals that have emerged, gradually building a collective geography of the city of the teenagers.

The educational paths proposed by FirstLife are structured in teaching modules, each of which is tailored to the needs and expectations that emerge during the initial phases of discussion and knowledge with teachers and students.

These include:

• Moments of in-depth study on emerging themes (sustainability, inclusion, active citizenship, etc.);
• Approach to innovative practices, disciplines and tools, such as the new geography, participatory journalism and civic technologies;
• Direct experience and knowledge of the territory in order to bring out the critical points and potential of the urban context;
• Use of analytical techniques and tools such as mind maps, immersive walks, field analysis;
• Meetings with leading figures from the community and with representatives of public and private territorial realities and institutions offering services for young people.

What emerges from these activities (stories, reflections, critiques, events, etc.) is reported on the participatory mapping of the platform, making the photographic and textual contributions public and available to all citizens; for this reason, another aspect that is taken care of is the quality of the content and the education to a conscious and slow use of the digital tool, as opposed to what happens with mainstream social networks.

At the moment, the Civic and Digital Education courses are ongoing with the Perotti Toscanini Secondary School classes in District 3 and a group of students involved in the PCTO programme of the Social Institute of the Jesuit Fathers in District 2.

Seven classes from the Perotti School are taking part, divided into three different paths, each one focusing on a specific theme: Sustainability for the first and second classes, Female Toponymy for the second classes and Adolescents and the territory for the third classes. District 3, represented by its President Francesca Troise, was involved right from the early stages of defining the activities, demonstrating a strong interest in activating a constructive and proactive dialogue with the young people, who are often under-represented, yet bearers of specific needs and interests, but also of bright ideas and visions for the future of their territory.

Over the next few weeks, the students will meet with local actors and players and, like a small editorial team, will be called upon to return the results of these encounters by producing photographic and narrative reports or by initiating active citizenship processes. The participatory mapping and the tangible results of the activities will be presented at the beginning of June in a public presentation to families, representatives of District 3 and all the stakeholders involved.

At the Social Institute of the Jesuit Fathers we are working with a group of girls and boys from the Classical, Scientific and Sport courses who are participating in the PCTO programme (alternating school-work). We are co-constructing and co-designing an active citizenship course so that their needs and passions can find spaces for expression and satisfaction in the geography of everyday life.

The girls and boys are demonstrating a deep interest in the activities proposed and in the topics dealt with, but more than anything else they are surprising us with the awareness with which they observe their territory and express their needs and aspirations for the future.

Listening to them describe with emotion the maps of everyday life and read the sensations during the immersive walks, observing their curiosity and incredulity in front of the socio-economic and environmental difficulties and hearing their proposals to improve the situation make us more proud day after day to see a conscious and sensitive generation growing up.

We will keep you updated on the next steps, here and on our social channels!

TINGANGUE VOUGRÉ - Natural Rebirth - Sustainable development and protection of the natural heritage of the Goada Forest

Cooperation project in Burkina Faso

The Unione Montana Valli Orco e Soana (TO) has set up a partnership with the Equiliberi Onlus association and the Computing Science Department of the University of Turin, in order to use FirstLife, previously adapted to Burkina Faso, for support the project TINGANGUE VOUGRÉ - Natural Rebirth.

FirstLife is mapping the land use in the Goada Forest, in Burkina Faso, where it is taking action to defend protected land, enhancing the agro-forestry sector and promoting sustainable agriculture also outside protected areas.

The opportunities for direct interaction between Italian and Burkinabe municipalities will increase, as well as the quality of their exchanges, thanks to the use of FirstLife. They can directly share and apply best practices in public-private partnerships for the protection of the natural heritage of the Goada forest.

GOOD NEWS:

For the Christmas Equiliberi Onlus has launched the fundraising campaign “Piantla-lì” in the name of the Goada Forest. See more on: https://equiliberi.org/tingangue-vougre/

Technical Partners - In Italy: Unione Montana Valli Orco e Soana, Associazione Equiliberi onlus, Gruppo di Azione Locale del Canavese and the Computing Science Department of the University of Turin. In Burkina Faso: Municipality of Kongoussi, AJPEE NGO, Ministère de L’Environnement, de l’Économie verte et du Changement climatique and the Ministère de l’Agriculture, aménagements Hydro-Agricoles et Mécanisation.

Financial partners - Regione Piemonte, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Otto per Mille della Chiesa Valdese, other private foundations.

Here the partial results of the project: https://equiliberi.org/tingangue_vougre_progetto/

For info: info@goada2030.org

WeGovNow: Local Event

WeGovNow Local Event: Towards #WeGovernment: approcci collettivi e partecipativi per affrontare le sfide delle politiche locali.

WeGovNow, progetto europeo finanziato dal programma Horizon 2020, sviluppa e convalida una piattaforma digitale in grado di coinvolgere la società civile nella coproduzione dei servizi rivolti al cittadino e nell’implementazione partecipata di approcci strategici allo sviluppo delle comunità. La piattaforma WeGowNow testa approcci e funzionalità in tre siti pilota: Torino, San Donà di Piave, London Borough of Southwark. Nelle tre municipalità la piattaforma viene utilizzata dagli utenti in una serie di scenari (use case) sviluppati dalle municipalità stesse che intendono non solo incrementare l’utilizzo della tecnologia, ma anche rendere più innovativi i processi amministrativi migliorandone l’efficienza e l’efficacia. [https://www.facebook.com/events/282854595745880/](WeGovNow Local Event)