GABRIELE PASQUI – DASTU, Politecnico di Milano, Head of Department of Architecture and Urban Studies
MARCO FACCHINETTI – DASTU, Politecnico di Milano, Professor of Urban Planning Department of Architecture and Urban Studies
PATRIZIA LOMBARDI – Politecnico di Torino, Head of Department , Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning
BRUCE KATZ – Brooking Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program
JULIE WAGNER – Brooking Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program
ALBERTO BRAMANTI – Università Bocconi Dipartimento di Analisi delle Politiche e Management Pubblico
DAVID BROWN – School of Architecture University of Illinois at Chicago, Associate Director
CECILIA LINDAHL – Stockholm County Council, Office of Growth an Regional Planning
NAOMIE VERSTRAETEN – Managing Director of Brainport International Program
PETER VINCENT KENTIE  – Managing Director of Eindhoven365
ELEANOR ESSER GORSKI – City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development
PIERFRANCESCO MARAN – Comune di Milano, Assessore Urbanistica, Verde e Agricoltura
ROBERTO MARELLI – Kilometro Rosso, Relations & Marketing Specialist
DANIELA MALDINI – Comune di Novate Milanese ViceSindaco
ALESSIO COMAI – Politecnico di Milano Master Degree Thesis

The conference will highlight the most relevant and updated aspects of the impact of innovation on European and American cities.

Innovation will be investigated as paradigm of a new generation of urban transformations, a new way of putting together productive and creative forces with everyday life, translating into action the principles of being smart, sustainable, eco-friendly, and re-inventing scales and relations.

Many cities and many regions around the western world are changing themselves and their economic structure shifting from traditional to innovative economy. For many of them, it means being recognized as places of manufacturing of new products, with a rich and fertile research behind them and able to open and expand new markets. The conference will emphasize above all the ability to translate innovation and innovative approaches in more strategic attitudes, as a multi-disciplinary approach, able to change the boundaries of expertise putting
at the center the creation/manufacture of something real, and using already urbanized areas to re-invent new production and new economy, together with a new lifestyle;
A specific focus will be dedicated to inclusiveness, as method to have different vocations, different actors and players
with different interests sitting at the same table and harmonizing their different standpoints to reach a shared objective; and as a method to re-invent the consensus building processes working together at the same interest rather than defending each side their own;

Urbanity will be considered by the conference as revised paradigm to describe a specific condition of life, not necessarily within traditional city limits but assuming a contemporary regional post sub urban point of view. Urbanity as paradigm able to aggregate uses, players, vocations, to re-invent productive places.

From cheap to smart, from rust to brain is the motto that could keep together also Milan’s vital economic region, ready to move forward with innovation and research as engines to transform the economy of the city and to re-invent the urban region as main actor of the transformations. Case studies from the Netherlands, Sweden and US will be presented and compared to show progresses: so come and learn!

INNOVATION AS ENGINE FOR URBAN REGENERATION.pdf

Patrizia Lombardi “Innovation and the post carb perspectives”.pdf

Julie Wagner “The rise of innovation districts”.pdf

Alberto Bramanti “The Dynamics of an ‘Innovation Driven’ territorial system”.pdf

David Brown “The Available City: innovative approach to physical transformations of the existing city”.pdf

Cecilia Lindahl “Stockholm and the regional approach to innovation”.pdf

Naomi Verstraeten, Peter Kentie “Eindhoven: the innovative re birth of an industrial city”.pdf

PETER VINCENT KENTIE – Managing Director of Eindhoven365 .pdf

Roberto Marelli “Kilometro Rosso: pioneering innovation in the region”.pdf

Within the frame of the UR Urbanizing the Region international research exchange network, I met Bruce Katz at the Brookings Institution on Oct, 3rd in Washington, D.C. Bruce Katz is the inaugural Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution, where he focuses on the challenges and opportunities of global urbanization. Katz assumed this cross -institution role in January 2016 after 20 years as the vice president and co-director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, which he founded in 1996. Together with Julie Wagner, he wrote The Rise of Innovation Districts (https://www.brookings.edu/essay/rise-of-innovation-districts/). The aim of the meeting was to present the UR initiative and to involve the research Bruce is doing into the cultural backgrounds of the network.

Innovation districts emerged since decades as a new way of interpreting the role of some, specific research “anchors” and an occasion to see scientific and technological research into action within the boundaries of urban environments. Many things have been written about them and about the most successful districts around the US and Europe. Also, and following some successful cases, a trend emerged recently in many parts of the world, so strong to transform rust belts into brain belts, according to the authors of The Smartest Places on Earth, Antoine Van Agtmael and Fred Bakker
(http://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/book/the-smartest-places-on-earth/9781610394352)

I asked to Bruce to discuss some specific topics and some questions that, working and studying these issues, came to my mind since months.
It looks more than evident that big universities, above all in the US, are the main anchors of the innovation districts, or, if we agree in not using this name that has been chosen to better and easier identify some specific transformations, they are the main engine behind some strong, recognizable processes of aggregation around their campuses. Start up, incubators, new companies, laboratories and to some extends, new lifestyle features, much more than a single coffee shop are now physically aggregated around some campuses or on a specific corridor close to campuses. Major universities, above all in the US, are acting as big actors in terms of transforming federal grants into built up boxes to host real innovation. The most interesting aspect is that during conversation with Bruce, the rhetoric used to describe these phenomena quickly shifted to a more traditional geographic language, using words such as downtowns, proximity, density, compactness. The most successful innovation districts are real clusters, around universities’ campuses, but there are at least two different models.

One model, more consolidated, shows a process of growth around the main university’s campus, as a way to expand the products of the research of the university, and at the same time a way to invest money (federal or private), to see big returns (also in terms of real estate investments) and to move up in the lead table of universities.
At the same time, and this is the second, more interesting model, universities close to downtown s are investing in creating around them an innovative environment, attracting once again start up, incubators and laboratories, using the advantages of being so close to existing downtowns. This model should be investigated, since it helps understanding how the innovative process needs to have strong roots in the local, instead of being something only ‘global’ oriented; it needs to works on the existing, maybe also historic structure of the city, it uses proximity and compactness as the backbone of a different way of aggregating uses and actors, and again of a different lifestyle for people, students, academics, researchers, scientists attracted by these places.

In these characteristics there are all the differences with other ‘popping up’ elements that we saw in the recent past. Nothing to do with the ‘edge cities’ phenomena: those places where walled off the rest of the city, just connected to the main highways network but with no connection to the local life; they hosted many times companies with a real ‘global’ way of occupying a part of the world, once again with nothing to do with the local environment.

Above all, the creation of agglomeration of uses with innovative productive processes behind them is something that cannot be repeated around the region in many ways; even if everything depends on the dimension of the region, and its attractiveness, it is evident that there could not be more than one big innovation anchor and there could be no more than one important local district, able to attract and combine these elements.

It is interesting to see what happens in terms of the architectural language that these areas decide to use. Once again, there are maybe two different models according to the two models just described. The creation of an innovation growth around a campus, or pushed by a major, big university usually takes the shape of a concentration of new buildings, with contemporary, campus-like language. Well different is the situation of the second model, with smaller scales anchors able to invest in existing downtowns or historical existing districts. This is the case of the Fulton-Randolph Market District in Chicago.

One of the most challenging question is about the role of innovation districts not only at a city scale, but comparing it with the trends occurring at the regional scale, having in mind a new way of describing the regions around the cities. Can we consider the creation of these transformations as a way to save or retrofit the suburbs? Very hard to say, considering that innovation districts are hardly more than one per region, their being different from financial districts or companies headquarters (walled) edge cities or again the need they have to be close, nearby already compact existing parts of the city. There is much more to say about that, perhaps, thinking at the transformation of existing science parks, or techno parks, into something more urban, with a different mix of uses. And maybe this can be considered a solution for some (more) European campuses, around the region, created in the past 30 years. Certainly we can consider the emphasis on traditional words such as proximity, compactness, downtowns as an important element that should show us the road to re compact, re center and re aggregate the suburbs. Innovation could just be ‘one’ of the elements that could push these processes.

The conversation ended finding a common interest in the UR Urbanising the region research network. Comparing four different cities evolved into regions into four different ways and having researchers and students involved into it is an interesting and innovative approach to research. The four regions will be investigated finding the way to study the different processes of urbanization that are changing the relations between their downtowns and the suburbs, the geography and the networks of what lies ‘within’ and what out, and above all the structure of behaviors of citizens, usersm inhabitants.

Brookings Institution will be involved in the development of the research and it will be in the loop of future developments.

Washington, D.C. October, 3rd 2016

 Download PDF: “UR Urbanizing the Region at Brookings Institution”

 Download PDF: “Fare urbanistica per regioni in transizione: tradizione, strumenti, innovazione per la produzione di luoghi”

Il Piano di Recupero del Linificio di Cassano d’Adda approda in Giunta e in Consiglio Comunale.

UrbNetLab has just ended the first part of the convention on the territory framework and the implementation methods of the former area of Linificio and National Canapificio in Cassano d’Adda. This is a research convention which has the aim to identify the best action path for the highly important transformation area which has been left, for years, on the table of the Town administration and of the North Adda Park, to which this area belongs. The complexity of this project, among ties, actual hydrogeological problems, the waste disposal and recovery, the expectations of the property and the fears of those living on that land, made them broaden the variety of thoughts, and call the UrbNetLab to do something and consider the area as a chance to rethink the territory of the river and of Cassano d’Adda. Even and also in relation to the modified infrastructural framework: the opening of the new municipal freeway, shortly, which will represent the beginning of BreBeMi with the near Treviglio turnoff and the empowerment of the railway system with the new line to and from Cassano d’Adda in the regional bypass system.

UrbNetLab ha appena concluso la prima parte della convenzione di ricerca sull’inquadramento territoriale e le modalità di attuazione dell’area dell’Ex Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale a Cassano d’Adda. Si tratta di una convenzione di ricerca tesa ad identificare il miglior percorso attuativo per un’area di trasformazione di grande rilievo, da anni sul tavolo dell’Amministrazione Comunale e del Parco Adda Nord, a cui l’area appartiene. La complessità del progetto, tra vincoli, problemi reali idrogeologici, smaltimenti e bonifiche, attese da parte della proprietà e paure da parte di chi vive il territorio, ha spinto ad allargare lo spettro delle riflessioni, a chiamare UrbNetLab ad intervenire e a considerare l’area come occasione territoriale di ripensamento dell’ambito del fiume e di Cassano d’Adda. Anche e soprattutto in relazione al mutato quadro infrastrutturale: l’apertura della nuova tangenziale comunale prevista di qui a poco, l’entrata in esercizio della BreBeMi con l’uscita di Treviglio a poca distanza e il potenziamento del sistema ferroviario con l’ingresso della linea da e per Cassano d’Adda nel sistema passante regionale.

The area has not been taken very good care of from the beginning. Completely disused since 1994, situated on the riversides of the Linificio Canal, artificially created by Adda to maintain the hydroelectric generating station which is in front of the Linificio, it configures as a really complex area and product of the anthropization processes, with the purpose to reuse the river plain, one of the most wonderful examples of nature and of natural contexts becoming liable for the production needs of the industrial revolution. On one hand, the fact of being disused started an infinite number of projects, programs and ideas, while on the other hand, it started a reduction of historical memory, the deterioration of the context and the reappropriation of nature. The complexity of the area, the huge expectations, the bad planning of the area done by the local authorities and institutions (just think about the inter-communal and regional role that the PTC of the Milan Province gave to this area, without understanding its real nature and its true position) blocked the action plan, leaving it to the politics. The convention with UrbNetLab gave the chance to start a planning process and to identify the true importance of the area, its interests and to outline an action plan with which to solve the problems.

L’area ha avuto una vicenda complessa e non sempre dignitosa. Dismessa completamente a partire dal 1994, situata lungo le rive del Canale del Linificio, creato artificialmente dall’Adda con un salto per alimentare la Centrale idroelettrica che fronteggia il Linificio, si configura come un sito di grandissima complessità e frutto dei processi di antropizzazione a scopo produttivo del letto del fiume, esempio tra i più mirabili di assoggettamento della natura e dei contesti naturali alle esigenze produttive della rivoluzione industriale. La dismissione ha innescato da un lato un processo infinito di progetti, programmi ed idee e dall’altro un percorso continuo di erosione della memoria storica, di ammaloramento del contesto e di riappropriazione della natura. La complessità del sito, le tantissime aspettative, il ruolo non sempre corretto di enti e istituzioni dal punto di vista della programmazione dell’area (si pensi al ruolo intercomunale e regionale che il PTC della Provincia di Milano assegnava a questa area, senza comprenderne la reale natura e la vera posizione) hanno bloccato il percorso attuativo, arenandolo nei peggiori meandri della politica. La convenzione con UrbNetLab ha permesso di aprire il processo di pianificazione e di identificare il peso vero dell’area, le sue vocazioni e di scrivere un percorso attuativo capace di risolvere le criticità.

The elaborated project starts with the joint writing with the topics of PGT, meanwhile during the writing, after years of incredible validity of the old PRG. The area of the Linificio enters the PGT with an avant-garde masterplan, showing the ability of the masterplan to become an active tool for the verification of rules, indicators and of transformation potentials. The masterplan which is part of the PGT anticipates all the VAS verifications, studying and solving, from the very beginning, every single impact and every single environmental problem. From the water overflow to the road conditions, from the seismic risks to the relations with the surrounding fruitful systems (among pedestrian areas, cycling lanes and general sustainability), everything is anticipated in the VAS path of PGT, in order to anticipate the solution to problems and modify, step by step, the action tool and the masterplan. Similar to this, the PGT has anticipated the topics concerning the relations with the North Adda Park, by using a tool able to assimilate the indications, regulations and instances of the Park, holder of the right on the planning of the area. For this reason, while the PGT was being written, the Park decided to write the Plan of the Sector, outlining in this tool the indications on the project, and combining two important moments in one: the outline of the project and its planning.

Il progetto elaborato comincia con la scrittura congiunta con i temi del PGT, nel frattempo in fase di stesura dopo anni di incredibile validità del vecchio PRG. L’area del Linificio entra con un masterplan anticipatore all’interno del PGT, dimostrando la capacità del master plan di farsi strumento attivo di verifica delle regole, degli indici e delle potenzialità trasformative. Contestualmente, il masterplan all’interno del PGT anticipa tutte le verifiche di VAS, studiando e risolvendo a priori ogni impatto e ogni criticità ambientale. Dalle problematiche legate all’esondazione delle acque alla viabilità, dal rischio sismico alle relazioni con i sistemi fruitivi circostanti (tra pedonalità, ciclabilità e sostenibilità in genere), tutto viene anticipato nel percorso di VAS del PGT, in modo da risolvere i problemi in anticipo e modificare a mano a mano lo strumento attuativo e il masterplan. Analogamente, sono state anticipate nel PGT le tematiche relative ai rapporti con il Parco Adda Nord, di fatto predisponendo uno strumento già in grado di recepire indicazioni, regole e istanze del Parco, a tutti gli effetti titolare della pianificazione dell’area. Per questa ragione, e simultaneamente con la stesura del PGT il Parco ha predisposto la stesura del Piano di Settore, rendendo di fatto nel suo strumento le indicazioni di progetto, e unendo due momenti, quali quello della progettazione e quello della pianificazione in uno solo.

There has been only one discussion forum, between the outline of the project and its planning, the construction of the project continued by using the indications contained in these tools written jointly and by using the masterplan as verification and negotiation element. This method made it possible to favor all the verifications and modifications to the project, using the masterplan as verification tool, to check, and as anticipation of the project choices, in the exchange process and the continuous interaction with the involved people.

Predisposto dunque un unico tavolo di confronto, tra progettazione e pianificazione, la costruzione del progetto è proseguita dando corpo alle indicazioni proprio contenute in questi strumenti redatti congiuntamente e usando il masterplan come elemento di verifica e negoziazione. Questo metodo ha consentito pertanto di anteporre tutte le verifiche e le modifiche al progetto, usando il master plan come strumento di verifica, controllo, e anticipazione delle scelte di progetto, in un processo di scambio e interazione continua con gli attori coinvolti.

The procedure continues relieved from the verifications and talks, favored in the initial negotiating phase, and should meet approval and adoptions as soon as possible.

L’iter del progetto prosegue ora alleggerito da verifiche e consultazioni, anteposte nella fase di contrattazione iniziale, e dovrebbe vedere adozione e approvazione rapidamente.

“..Hudson Yards is the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States and the largest development in New York City since Rockefeller Center. It is anticipated that more than 24 million people will visit Hudson Yards every year. The site will ultimately include more than 17 million square feet of commercial and residential space, 5 state-of-the-art office towers, more than 100 shops, a collection of restaurants, approximately 5,000 residences, a unique cultural space, 14 acres of public open space, a 750-seat public school and a luxury hotel with approximately, all offering unparalleled amenities and easy access to transportation..”

The development is divided in two part: Eastern Yards (phase 1) and western yards (phase 2)

PHASE 1

Eastern yard

From 10th to 11th Avenue between West 30th and West 34th Street

Office, Shops & restaurant, Retail pavillion, hotel, residential, culture shed

Total 11,220,00 sF

PHASE 2

Western yard

From 11th to 12 Avenue between West 30th and West 33rd Streets

Total 6.220.200 SF

Office, residential, retail, school

Total SF (Phase 1 and Phase 2) 17.440.000

50% Open space

THE STORIES

“..Create a new neighborhood from the ground up in one of the world’s greatest cities. Hudson Yards will set a new standard for the way the people live, work, dream, dine, gather and play..”

LOCATION

Hudson yards is located between 10th and 12th avenues from West 30th to West 34th Street.

Hudson Yards is the center of the metropolitan region with a lot of connections: rail service, the subway system, the West Side Highway, the Lincoln Tunnel and ferries along the Hudson River.

In the 2015 will be open the extension of the No. 7 Subway line and it will arrive in front of Hudson Yards.

Next to Hudson Yards the are chic art galleries, award winning restaurants, popular bars and nightlife venues, and highly respected international fashion and design.

LIVING AT HUDSON YARDS

The project area is near the neighborhoods of Chelsea, West Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen with their chic art galleries, innovative restaurants and bars, and highly respected international fashion and design. Next to the area there are the High line, Hudson River Park, and they will implemented with the new Hudson Park

THE NEW NO. 7 SUBWAY EXTENSION

In the 2015 will be finished the new No 7 Subway extention, that increase the trasportaion system of New York City.

THE NEW WEST SIDE

“…The area surrounding Hudson Yards is growing at a rate five times that of Manhattan…”

The adjacent neighborhoods are booming, with their offices and services, like the new home of Google and the other technology and digital media firms.

The growth can be attributed also to transformation of the High Line, that will be shortly complete.

Also public investment in area parks, transportation system and infrastructure are benefits for the west side, with renovations and retrainings, like Moynihan station, javits center and the five miles Hudson river park that change the West side better with more visitors and city users.

IMAGE AND INFO SOURCE

http://hudsonyardsnewyork.com