ProGIreg project – Orti generali

The proGIreg Living Lab in Torino used nature for renewal and regenerating pronoting green infrastructure and land accessibility by:

  1. Creating green corridors by connecting already existing cycle paths, and pedestrian trails;
  2.  Turning empty buildings into green infrastructures, i.e. green roofs and walls;
  3. Transforming brownfields into community gardens;
  4. Using regenerated soil to give new life to poor and non-fertile land
  5. Experimenting with collective farming practices as a tool for urban regeneration and social inclusion
  6. Involving educational institutions and residents to experiment with horticultural practices;
  7. Designing, managing and maintaining green areas and green infrastructure shared with local businesses, associations and citizens

The Mirafiori Sud district is a suburb of Turin characterized by poor-quality urban environments (neglected green and grey infrastructures) and social issues such as social segregation, poverty, and safety problems. The NbS implementations of proGIreg address the district’s social, economic, and urban problems. The Living Lab approach entailed the testing of specific NBs in real-life conditions by involving diverse stakeholders at an early stage in co-design and co-implementation processes, to boost collaborative and long-lasting engagement including vulnerable and marginalized groups.

Orti Generali, one of the actions of the proGIreg Living Lab, are community urban gardens part of the regeneration of a derelict area. They are based on an innovative concept and business model consisting of 160 garden plots of different sizes and 330 planted trees. Furthermore, 30% of the area was transformed into shared green spaces where people can meet and socialize. Gardeners can now rent their own plots, or they can contribute to the maintenance of the common spaces.