New European Bauhaus Prizes

Identify the award category for which this project is being submitted

Regaining a sense of belonging

Project title

Neighborhoods in the center

Full Project Title

PERIFERIE AL CENTRO - (Neighborhoods in the Center)

Please provide a short, catchy description of your project to be used in communication towards the public.

The project aims to create a model of modern social living, suited to current society.
This model is based on the creation of a solid relationship between public and private bodies.
Furthermore, it is based on the synergy between cooperatives from various sectors and local associations that provide integrated social housing services.
In this way a new housing welfare is created.

Where was your project implemented?

Italy

At which level is the project implemented (e.g., does the project cover the entire national level, one or several regions, cities etc?)

National

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?

Mainly urban

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?

It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Is your project fully completed?

Yes

Please indicate the date your project was completed

2024-12-16

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?

Has your project received an EU prize that included a monetary award?

Are you interested in participating in the ‘NEB Affordable Housing’ prize?

Yes

Is your project implemented in one of the EU MS?

Does the project provide sustainable, inclusive, and affordable housing solutions in line with the NEB values and principles?

Yes

Please indicate on whose behalf you are submitting the application

As a representative of an organisation

Please provide a summary of your project, outlining the overall aim, target group(s), specific objective(s) and achieved outcomes in the context of the respective category you apply for

We are based in Asti, a medium-sized city in northwestern Italy.
Our housing cooperative focuses on serving the middle-income segment of the population, the largest demographic group.
For over forty years, we have been working to address their housing needs.
Over time, these needs have evolved: for many years, we built properties intended for sale at affordable prices, lower than the market value.
The requests primarily come, and continue to come, from:
- Family units composed of young individuals under 35, with or without children.
- Single-parent households (e.g., a separated mother with a young child).
- Independent seniors.
These groups share a common need for recently built housing, assistance with furnishing and equipping their homes, and social services to support family management.
Our project originated with the IN.COOP.CASA cooperative, which has been dedicated to long-term social housing rentals since 1982.
Over time, the cooperative established partnerships with other cooperatives specializing in goods and services for homes. This led to the idea of including a range of essential services within the rental fee or as optional add-ons, such as:
- Supply of electricity and gas for the home.
- Health insurance coverage for the resident member and their family.
- Insurance coverage for the household head.
These services are provided by affiliated cooperatives, ensuring high standards of reliability and competitiveness. For example, we are one of the few cooperatives offering supplementary health insurance to its residents.
This integrated service, which we call in Italian *“Più di una casa”* (*More than a House*), forms the foundation of a new project called *“Periferie al centro”*

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.

economic sustainability

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words

public-private collaboration

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words

creating a caring community

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words

provide housing including social services

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words

use of the premises for social activities for the neighbourhood

Please describe the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

The benefits of this project include:
- Addressing the high demand for efficient and eco-friendly housing at affordable prices.
- Providing household and personal services, fostering synergies among cooperatives from various sectors, and helping support the budgets of families at risk of poverty and social exclusion.
- Creating job opportunities for businesses involved in social work and for local enterprises.
- Transforming a condominium into a supportive community of residents, fostering interpersonal relationships as an alternative to social networks.
- Developing a prototype that can serve as a model for replication in other contexts.
- Building a social and solidarity-based economy, offering people a tangible alternative for a more human and sustainable way of living.

Please describe the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

However, it is crucial to establish a network of companies and associations working together, each contributing their specific expertise, to create a unique, integrated service that constitutes a new Housing Welfare system.

Each economic entity can develop its own activities and achieve its objectives. Together, they create an innovative, one-of-a-kind product that is efficient in addressing real needs while being economically advantageous.

Please describe the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

In order to implement an innovative social housing intervention, intended for the middle class of the population, it is necessary to establish a collaboration between a public body and a private body. It is important to invest with patient capital investment funds and activate forms of public contribution and make the private individual responsible, who undertakes to return the money received over time.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project. Please describe their role and level of involvement.

The intervention was carried out with a partnership between the national government and the local municipality. The project was carried out thanks to the cooperation between cooperatives from various sectors. The housing cooperative is responsible for the construction of the property and its assignment to members. The social cooperatives are responsible for managing the commercial premises on the ground floor: medium-sized clinic, day centre for minors, neighbourhood concierge

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the project. Please describe their role and level of involvement. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was

The national government has allocated funds for the construction of innovative social housing properties, built on the outskirts of cities. Local governments have designed the interventions to be carried out together with private entities. A collaboration has been created between public and private entities. The latter has taken on half of the construction costs.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your project. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was

The aim is to go beyond the simple construction of a low environmental impact building, as currently required by European standards. For example, on the ground floor of the building, instead of the usual commercial premises, rooms for social services have been created. The internal garden has been equipped with benches and tables to encourage socialization and interaction between residents and people who use social services. Finally, a second photovoltaic system has been created, intended for the energy community of resident tenants.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the project

The innovative character lies in the destination of the property to Welfare Housing. The goal is not the simple construction of housing but the creation of an integrated ecosystem of services for the middle and lower social classes. With attention to the most fragile families, young people and disabilities. The architectural project is therefore a consequence of the needs of this new welfare housing.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your project.

The study was done with an innovative methodology. The materials are eco-friendly, with low environmental impact but at low costs. This was necessary because it was important to respect a spending budget that would allow us to deliver the rental accommodation at affordable rates.

Please describe which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. This may involve for example aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings etc.

We believeThis project is important for various reasons but above all because it can be a replicable modelIn the outskirts of cities.The working middle class of the country is looking for aesthetically beautiful housing, but above allWith low environmental impactAnd with low management costs.Furthermore, it is importantTo invest in the creation of supportive communitiesOf people belonging to the same condominium units.To implement itWe need to work on the creation of partnerships between the public and private sectors. The public bodyCan invest by asking for responsibility from the private sector, for example with the long-term reimbursement of the fundsInvested. Real estate funds can be activated with patient capitalAnd with low yieldFinally, mortgages with rates close to zero and with a length of fifty years

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addresses by providing local solutions

Cities will develop mainly in the suburbs, especially the larger cities. Medium-small cities Will have to be supported because they are at risk of depopulation As well as marginal areas. By bringing projects back to these places Where people can spend a life In the name of beauty Of solidarity, With low costs We will have the opportunity To regenerate the suburbs.

Please give information on the results, outcomes and impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for. This includes also benefits from the project for direct and indirect beneficiaries

The project, since its conception, has received great attentionFrom the local community. We are currently in the phase of assigning the first housing units, We have a considerable demand. We have built an innovative collaboration with the public bodyWhich has reported to us familiesInterested in this opportunity. We are working carefully on the creation of a social mixIn order to create a heterogeneous community

Please attach at least 6 high resolution images (or other types of visual representations, if images are not possible) to your application.

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