In four Milanese Districts: Baggio, Barona, Giambellino, Gratosoglio. Internal Report. Design and system Innovation for Sustainability research unit, Design dept., Politecnico di Milano

1. 1

2. 2
3 Introduction
3 The MSDS method and the strategic analysis
5 The design briefs
18 The strategic analysis development
19 The results
21 Next steps

3. 3
1. INTRODUCTION
This report describe the strategic analysis carried out by the Politecnico di Milano team within the TANGO
(AH-DEsign)EU project.
The scope is to design innovative and sustainable product service systems to be implemented in different
districts of Milan within the Punto e Linea project to improve social inclusion and intergenerational dialogue
with a low environmental impact.
The strategic analysis has been carried out by Elisa Bacchetti, Alberto Fossati, Claudio Sarcì tutored by Carlo
Vezzoli.
The outcomes of this strategic analysis are used by the student of the course System Design for
Sustainability (Politecnico of Milano, School of design) that will develop eco-efficient product-service
systems to improve the social cohesion and intergenerational dialogue in four districts of Milan where the
Punto e Linea project has activated 4 project (HUB) of social cohesion. The most promising concepts will be
further developed (in higher details) and then transformed in the contents of the travelling exhibition to be
presented in Nantes (March 2013), in Milan (April 2013 during the Salone del Mobile) and in Helsinki (May-
June 2013).
2. THE MSDS METHOD AND THE STRATEGIC ANALYSIS
The strategic analysis, presented in the following pages, is one of the four stages of the Method for System
Design Sustainability (MSDS) elaborated within the LeNS EU funded project in particular by the research
unit Design and Innovation for Sustainability (DIS) of Politecnico di Milano (project coordinator). The
method is used to support the process product-service system design and to orient it toward sustainable
solutions. Thought modular it is structured in the following different stages:
-strategic analysis;
-exploring opportunities;
-designing system concepts;
-designing (and engineering) a system;
- communication.
Every stage and the entire method are flexible in order to be adapted to the specific needs of the
designers/companies and to different context’s conditions. The method is particularly flexible about:
procedural stages, tools to use, dimensions of sustainability (environmental, socio-ethical and economic),
and about the possibility to integrate other tools and activities.

4. 4
The strategic analysis being described is a part of the process, with the aim to obtain information necessary
to facilitate the sustainable ideas’ generation through different steps, tools and activities.
This document describe the specific strategic analysis, carried out by the Politecnico di Milano team to
design innovative and sustainable systems favouring intergenerational dialogue in the context of Milan, in
partnership with the Punto e Linea project already active in the Milanese area with similar aims, i.e. to
promote and improve social cohesion into four districts of the city. The Punto e Linea project is designed
and realized by Consorzio Sistema Imprese Sociali (SiS) and it is funded by Fondazione Cariplo.
To study the Punto e Linea project and context, have been followed all the analysis steps here reported:
-analysis the context of intervention and analysing the project proposers;
-analyse the context of reference;
-analyse the carrying structure of the system;
-analyse case of excellence;
-sustainability analisys and priorities definition.

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Here below a scheme that synthesise the activities (process and sub-process), the tools used and the
achieved results;
STRATEGIC ANALYSIS
ACTIVITIES SUB ACTIVITIES RESULTS TOOLS
A. Analysis of
the promoters of
the project and
the definition of
the intervention
- Define the scope of
project intervention
- Specific document about
the project brief
PowerPoint brief text
- Analysis of the
characteristics of
the promoters of
the project
- Summary document with analysis of
the promoters of the project
- mission
- role
- weakness & strenght
- Word text
- Video interview to
Punto & Linea proposer
B. Analysis of
the reference
context
- Analysis of the
characteristics of
the reference
context
- Summary document with an
introduction to the 4districts and
where the hubs are
- District map (pdf)
- Introduction video
about districts
- Demographic district
data (pdf)
- Analysis of the
production offer
system (back
office)/ existing
enterprise
- Summary document with a description
of the initiative / existing enterprise:
- description of how the system
currently works
- incubation process and
development
- weakness, problems and possible
improvements
- Video interview to
producers / promoters
/ hubbers
- Satisfaction offering
diagram (PPT)
- System map (PPT)
- Analysis of final
demand (users -
front office) /
existing enterprise
- Summary analysis document of the
end user needs:
- mapping of the types of users and
their expressed and hidden needs
Video interviews to
end user
- Analysis of relevant
stakeholders
- Summary document with analysis of
the major stakeholders in the initiative
System map (PPT)
C. Sustainability
analysis and
prioritization of
project
intervention
- Analysis of existing
initiative in terms of
environmental,
economic and social
ethic sustainability
- Summary document with analysis of
economic, social and environmental
impact of the existing offer:
- economic, environmental and social
ethic problems and critical issues
- SDO toolkit (criteria
and checklist for the
qualitative report of
sustainability)
- Qualitative report of
sustainability
- Defining priorities
for action planning
- Definition for each sustainability
dimension, the priorities for action
planning
- SDO toolkit (criteria
and priorities)
D. Best practices
analysis
- Identification of
best practicies
- Summary document of best practicies
analysis :
- composition of the offer and
interaction with the user
- stakeholders that produce and
deliver the offer
- sustainabilty topic
- Best practicies analysis
report (word text)

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3. THE DESIGN BRIEFS
The strategic analysis has been carried out in relation to 4 briefs related to 4 different Punto e Linea Hubs1
located in different district of Milan.
The brief for the HUB BAGGIO is the following:
“Self-managed Web Radio”
Design a Product-Service System to transform the Web Radio which has been activated within the Punto e
Linea project into a self-financing service with a low environmental impact that focuses on promoting social
cohesion and dialogue between generations. WebRadio was created by the youngsters of the area and it's
already well-functioning and well-known in the area.It is also invited to the events as a reporter to broad
cast the novelties and provides opportunities for people of the district to have a program on the radio
channel.
The HUB BAGGIO EXISTING OFFER is the following:
The Web radio is located in the Olmi area, within the Baggio district of Milan. It is a place to record and
listen and to inform and share stories about the same district or other arguments available for all the
residents. Everyone is invited to participate proposing new programs, giving feedbacks and ideas or taking
part at the many different events. The Web radio offers different activities and approaches:
- courses to learn how to use the equipments and the free software used in the radio;
- school paths to learn about the radio and to understand the importance of the information related to
different topics;
- use the radio place to record your personal sound tracks that can be uploaded in the website of the radio.
The radio program’s topics are defined by the speakers in agreement with the proposers and they usually
cover different areas: district information, news from outside recorded by university students, or periodic
interviews to new bands or guests. The Web radio is also often an active part and promotes the local events:
through the direct participation and with the web based streaming of the program. These events are a good
opportunity for the Web radio, now well known into the district, to reinforce his role in the city and to
involve new speakers. The participants are globally twenty considering students and young people; more
challenging is to involve adults and elderly people
1
The hub represent the core of the project in each district

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OFFERING DIAGRAM OF HUB BAGGIO OFFER

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SYSTEM MAP OF HUB BAGGIO OFFER

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The brief for the HUB BARONA Is the following
Sustainable courses in the public school: design an innovative product-service system that uses the public
school of via Lope de Vega to improve social cohesion and intergenerational dialogue betweenthe
inhabitants(and "visitors") of the building and the attached area. The public school is located in the central
court yard of the self-managed public housing in the center of the Barona district of Milan. The system of the
product-service should be designed to self-sustain from the economic point of view even after the end of the
Punto e Linea project in a "useful sociability"manner (self-production laboratories, repair,...) and with a low
impact on the environment.
EXISTING OFFER OF THE HUB BARONA:
The Barona district is located in the south suburbs of Milan. It is a popular district with huge residential
buildings. One of these complexes is the Lope de Vega house that is the focus of the intervention of the
Punto e Linea project in the district, to improve the social cohesion between the residents and to revaluate
the place. The intervention proposes four courses with different topics to involve the inhabitants in creative
and useful activities.
Video: the aim of this initiative is to communicate the district (or other topics) through the point of view of
the people living there. Every recording phase is done with the participant’s phones except for the editing
that is realized with the help of a professional and using a common computer;
Cook: the aim of this course is to cook with everything giving people the possibility to save money and to
learn how to cook something unusual;
Makeup: the aim of the course is to learn how to make up in a professional way improving personal and
artistic skills of the participants;
Knitting: the aim of the course is to give some practical help for knitting in order to create a concrete
competence to be spent in everyday life or as a possibility for a future work. All the courses will be
organized inside of the popular school of Lope de Vega that is an available room inside the building and it is
now unused. The idea of using the popular school is to help the people to open the space and to encourage
them in being and taking part. An important aspect of the interventions is the collaboration with other
social initiatives already present in Lope de Vega. This integration can help to create more solid bases to
interact with the inhabitants and to promote a more complete path of social involvement.

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OFFERING DIAGRAM OF HUB BARONA OFFER

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SYSTEM MAP OF HUB BARONA OFFER

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The brief for the HUB GIAMBELLINO is the following:
“Sustainable Community garden” design a Product-Service System that allows the community garden in the
center of the Hub district of Milan Giambellino to self-sustain from the economic point of view even after
the end of the Punto e Linea project, becoming a driving force for improvements in social cohesion and
intergenerational dialogue for the neighborhood and helping in reduction environmental impact. The center
of the Giambellino Hub is a small house, situated in a public park within the neighborhood. Currently many
initiatives and events are being carried out. One of the activities is in fact linked to a community garden,
created around the cottage, which is taken care of once a week, by a group of people of different ages and
backgrounds (passers by are free to participate in the care of the community garden)
The HUB GIAMBELLINO EXISTING OFFER:
Within the Giambellino district there’s a multifunctional space called “Casetta Verde” where a group of
people manage and realize several activities open and dedicated to the habitants of the neighbourhood –
elderly, children, families, disabled, teenagers. Primary objective of this place is to be an open, cozy location
where to talk about the district’s issues and where to work together to promote the local context to be able
to act onto the shared priorities with concrete actions that would improve the quality of life of the territory;
one of the proposal, which is also one of the most active, is the community garden lab, it has a shared
habitants participation in an gardening action.
This activity has been proposed by a resident of the neighbourhood. With the consent of the different
promoters and associations in the area and the support of the “Punto e Linea” project, this activity is on and
working since one year every Saturday morning, and at the end of each of this Saturdays the people don’t
miss the opportunity to socialize, having a big lunch together with the products of the garden. The lab is
aimed to the active use and participation of the space, people design and plan together the activities to be
done. The entrance is open to anyone and till nowadays there’s the stable participation of 15 persons, of all
gender and ages, from children to seniors.

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OFFERING DIAGRAM OF HUB GIAMBELLINO OFFER

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SYSTEM MAP OF HUB GIAMBELLINO OFFER

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The brief for the HUB GRATOSOGLIO is the following:
design the “summer camp” as a Product-Service System that optimizes the management and organization
in a perspective of social inclusion and intergenerational dialogue. Hub Gratosoglio has been hosting sports
for the summer camps for a couple of years that last a few weeks, however there have been problems in
management and organization.
The HUB GRATOSOGLIO EXISTING OFFER:
One of the main goal of the summer camp, beyond to make the people join the sports together, is also to
give a shake and to try to build a network among all the sport associations of the community center “centro
Puecher”, to give a common field to allows all these associations to speak and communicate in the same
language and to create a concrete collaboration network.
Due to several problems last year the summer camp has been moved outside the “centro Puecher” and it
has been made into the “Carraro” sport center, with the private associations already present within this
facility.
This year the summer camp will be a little bit different, keeping the original idea of the promotion of the
sport as prevention and an help for the social aggregation and to try to create a belonging sense between
the associations and the local people; there’s also the choice to perform the activities outdoor to involve
directly the users.
The sports camp will last one month: from the 14th
of June to the 14th
of July and the 15th
of July will take
place the final event. It will be three times a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and each day for 3
hours, from 4 to 7pm.
Concretely the offer will be to provide to children a guide, a street’s educator, and a coach for free, to teach
them the basic rules of three sports (football, basketball and volleyball), try to establish new friendships
among different ethnic and status arrays and create challenging groups for the final tournament.
The summer camp will take place mainly in the parks of the area but it’ll be used also the parishes as
structure open to a new collaboration and taking advantage of the fact that they are very active and known
in Gratosoglio.
Last year they had roughly 350/400 attendees out of 2000 fliers and contacts. The core main age target is
around 14 to 16 years old guys.
As it’s anyway important the support of the sport associations, this year they’ll try to involve some
associations even the not-sporty ones, because it would be possible even to create some side support
activities to the camp.

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OFFERING DIAGRAM OF HUB GRATOSOGLIO OFFER

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SYSTEM MAP OF HUB GRATOSOGLIO OFFER

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4. THE STRATEGIC ANALYSIS DEVELOPMENT
The strategic analysis has been developed by the Politecnico team during February – March 2012. The
proposers of the Hubs have been involved in the process to achieve information and to help to create a first
interaction with the context.
Followed steps for the strategic analysis of the Punto e Linea Project.
1.Organization of two meetings with the Hubbers (the responsible of the hubs).
The two meeting has been useful to achieve information about the context, the Hub role in the district and
about the specific offers to be developed in the four briefs. It has been also useful to have a first contact
with the district and having some advice about the life in the district and the perception of the people who
are living and working there. Moreover the meetings gave the occasion to plan future interviews with the
proposers (if different from the Hubbers) and with the participants.
2. Customized path for each hub to go deeper in each brief initiative.
- Hub Baggio
The Politecnico team participated the 18th
of March to the radio program “Una baggio che funziona”
managed by some university students. In that occasion has been possible to interview the speakers seeing a
different point of view.
- Hub Barona
The Politecnico team participated the 25th
of March at the Spring Festival in Lope de Vega to see the
opening of the courses, and meeting the inhabitants. In that occasion has been possible to see the first
reaction of the inhabitants to the Punto e Linea project.
- Hub Giambellino
The Politecnico team participated the 17th
of March to the gardening activity of the Casetta Verde. In that
occasion has been possible to interview the proposers of the initiative and also some participants of the
Casetta Verde activities.
- Hub Gratosoglio
The Politecnico team the 13th
of March has had the possibility to interview the trainers of two sport
associations that have done the summer camp last year and that are going to repeat the experiment in June
2012.
All the produced documents have been recorded, to be used by the students of the course System Design
for Sustainability. At the same time of the interviews have been taken some videos of the four contexts to
investigate them about architectural and landscape aspect but also about the distribution of services and
facilities.
To record all the materials produced have been used the equipments provided by the Movie Lab of the
Politecnico di Milano.

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5. THE RESULTS
All the results gathered from the first strategic analysis part of work, have been collected, processed and
divided into documents of various format, i.e. audiovideo, pdf and ppt. Then they have been published
online both to enable their streaming view both to be free to download. They have been uploaded on web-
based sharing platforms: youtube.com, slideshare.net and mydrive.ch.
We made a collection of several files per hub to give a global view on them divided by sections. Some .Ppt
files to describe the brief, the system map, showing the relationships between the different stakeholders
and actors involved into the work-flow, and the offering diagram, which highlights the main offer in
relationship with the other sub-side-offers of the service. In addition, some videos have been shoot and
post produced to describe the context, the proposer and the existing offer (and in particular the backstage
and the front desk) with interviews and clips of the territory. Finally, we collected some information from
the site of the town of Milan, which allowed us to establish, again for each hub, demographic data district
and the district map.
BARONA HUB Sustainable courses in the public school
Videos:
THE CONTEXT
Barona District
THE PROPOSERS
Punto e linea Project
THE EXISTING OFFER
Manual Activities
Power point files:
THE BRIEF:
Barona HUB Manual Activities
THE EXISTING OFFER:
. System map
. Offering diagram
Pdf files:
THE CONTEXT the Barona district
. demographic district data
. district map
THE EXISTING OFFER
. Qualitative sustainability report

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GIAMBELLINO HUB Community Garden
Videos:
THE CONTEXT
Giambellino District
THE PROPOSERS
.Punto e linea Project
THE EXISTING OFFER
.Community Garden
COMMUNITY GARDEN BACK OFFICE
Power point files:
THE BRIEF:
Giambellino HUB Community Garden
THE EXISTING OFFER:
. System map
. Offering diagram
Pdf files:
THE CONTEXT
the Giambellino district
. demographic district data
. district map
THE EXISTING OFFER
. Qualitative sustainability report
GRATOSOGLIO HUB Sustainable Summer Camp
Videos:
THE CONTEXT
.Gratosoglio District
THE PROPOSERS
.Punto e linea Project
THE EXISTING OFFER
.Summer Camp
SUMMER CAMP BACK OFFICE
SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS
Powerpoint files:
THE BRIEF:

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Gratosoglio HUB
Summer Camp
THE EXISTING OFFER
. System map
. Offering diagram
Pdf files:
THE CONTEXT
the Gratosoglio district
. demographic district data
. district map
THE EXISTING OFFER
. Qualitative sustainability report
BAGGIO HUB Web Radio
Videos:
THE CONTEXT
.Baggio District
THE PROPOSERS
.Punto e linea Project
THE EXISTING OFFER
.Web Radio
WEB RADIO BACK OFFICE
Powerpoint files:
THE BRIEF:
Baggio HUB
Web Radio
THE EXISTING OFFER
. System map
. Offering diagram
Pdf files:
THE CONTEXT the Baggio district
. demographic district data
. district map
THE EXISTING OFFER
. Qualitative sustainability report

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6. NEXT STEPS
Based on the strategic analysis, all the students of the System Design for Sustainability course started on
Tuesday 15th
of May a design working section that, , divided in twelve groups (three per hub), will develop
concepts of Product-Service Systems for the “Punto e Linea” 4 HUB projects. The course is going to finish
the 26th of June and for that date all the students’ groups will present their concepts in the animatic video
form, in which will be explained the several aspect of the working Product-Service System with particular
attention about the sustainability innovation characteristics.
After that the four students that carried out the strategic analysis (who are actually developing their thesis
about this topic) will take the most promising concepts carried out from the course, one per each district
hub, and they will deepen and develop further all the aspect of these four concept to make them innovative
but feasible for implementation.
At the final part of this shared and broad path our work will be part as the content of a travelling exhibition
that will pass through Nantes, in France in March 2013; then Milan, in April 2013 and finally in Helsinki, in
Finland in May/June 2013.
The three university of Milan (Politecnico di Milano), Helsinki (Aalto University) and Nantes (Ecole de Design
Nantes Atlantique) are collaborating to develop this exhibition about the social cohesion and the
intergenerational dialogue, and the way this topic is faced in various realities. Together, with a consistent
team of people working and sharing the competencies on it, they are designing both the contents and the
structure/layout of the exhibition.