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MadLAB – Maddalena LABoratory

MadLAB – Maddalena LABoratory

Adesso Trieste

Proposal abstract

The proposal consists of a civic laboratory aimed at collective rethinking and redesign of the urban area of Maddalena, located in the south-eastern periphery of Trieste, heavily impacted by an unsustainable urban development model. A new committee, called Maddalena Vive (Maddalena is Alive) has been recently formed and a mobilisation has started to claim for a “green compensation for the area”.
Through MadLAB, three teams of 10-12 persons each (equally composed of Maddalena inhabitants, Adesso Trieste members and international municipalist activists) will:

– Explore the area using participatory mapping tools;
– Engage in a participatory design session, elaborating three proposals for the regeneration of the neighbourhood.

Visiting participants will be selected through an open call and will be also asked to co-organise three seminars to share their best municipal practices and experiences.

Eventually, a neighbourhood event will be held to share the final results of the civic laboratory with a broader public.

Who we are

Adesso Trieste is a municipalist political space established in 2020 in Trieste. After the 2021 local elections, it gained 3 seats in the City Council and 14 seats in the Neighbourhood Councils. Adesso Trieste strives for new economic, social, cultural and administrative models, based on social and environmental justice, by promoting diversity and advancing self-government. Besides its institutional activities, Adesso Trieste constantly supports active citizenship initiatives and community organisation processes at city and district levels. This includes, for instance, sustaining local residents in their struggle for environmental protection, fair public transportation and more inclusive urban spaces, helping disadvantaged workers claiming for better conditions and higher wages as well as supporting public service users demanding for more accessible and quality social/healthcare provisions. The activity of Adesso Trieste is strongly tied with that of local committees, labour unions, community based organisations and other civil society groups.

What we want to do and how we will do it

The proposal consists of a civic laboratory aimed at collective rethinking and redesigning the urban area of Maddalena, located in the south-eastern periphery of Trieste. The area has been heavily impacted by the demolition of a former hospital and the deforestation of a park, in order to build a commercial centre, private parking lots and new residential units. Another hospital is meant to be relocated out of the area, leaving a huge empty spot ready for further real estate speculation. Maddalena is located near a cross-border pedestrian and bike trail connecting Trieste with Slovenia and representing a great opportunity for a viable and sustainable economic and urban development of the neighbourhood. A new committee, called Maddalena Vive (Maddalena is Alive) has been recently formed and a mobilisation has started to claim for a “green compensation for the area”. Through MadLAB, three teams of 10-12 persons each (equally composed of Maddalena inhabitants, Adesso Trieste members and “external” municipalist activists) will: – Explore the area using participatory mapping tools, in order to collectively analyse weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats, taking into consideration the points of view of local residents, their requests and needs; – Engage in a participatory design session, elaborating three proposals for the reuse and regeneration of empty/underused spaces and for a better (social and mobility) connectivity throughout the neighbourhood. Visiting participants, who will be selected through an open call, taking into consideration gender equality criteria and the variety of social and political municipalist experiences across Europe, will be also asked to co-organise three dissemination seminars during their stay, in order to share their best practices and experiences, targeting Adesso Trieste activists. Eventually, a neighbourhood event will constitute an occasion to share the final results of the civic laboratory with a broader public (local residents, local associations, committees and unions, etc.).

How much money do we need and what for?

In order to implement the above mentioned activities, the following budget resources are needed: ~ € 1,600 to refund travel expenses for those selected through the municipalist open call to take part into the civic laboratory and provide for a meal ~ € 200 to buy useful materials to carry on the urban exploration and the participatory design session ~ € 200 to set up the organisation of the three dissemination workshops ~ € 500 to organise the final neighbourhood event ~ € 500 communication and dissemination costs For a total of ~ € 3,000 As travel expenses might vary according to the place of origin of external/international participants, part of the budget could be re-allocated to further communication activities, i.e. the development/printing of a final report with the presentation of the project and results.

Why / How does it contribute to /reflects the municipalism principles

Adesso Trieste strongly believes in the necessity to operationally translate the guiding principles of social and environmental justice into its daily action. Following the municipalist approach, this can be done mainly through bottom-up activities, such as the ones foreseen in this project, but also by promoting cross-fertilisation across municipalist experiences (at least) at the European level. The diverse backgrounds of the civic laboratory’s participants will provide for the best setting to experiment together a concrete, meaningful, and hopefully enjoyable way to challenge locally established powers through radical democratic practices. This is particularly relevant in a city like Trieste, where the same right-wing and conservative political forces have been in power, almost continuously, for the past 20 years. It will also help Adesso Trieste in carrying on its effort of supporting local committees, such as Maddalena Vive, to set up and build political power, and to advance their claims.

Materials

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