Porta Palazzo is a short distance from the
centre. It has urban and architectural assets which are extremely rich
in history and memories: from the entrance gates to the Roman city,
to the boundary walls, from the baroque buildings to the examples of
protoindustrial construction, from the urban spaces designed according
to the aesthetic and prospective criteria of the 1700s to the corners
of the city that have evolved spontaneously from the relationship between
built space-empty space. However these "urban resources" are frequently
threatened by lack of care, degradation and uncertainty that bring about
the situations that compromise the quality of life, of work and the
accessibility of city space. Much has been done in recent years to improve
the built environment in both public and private space, but much still
needs to be done especially in specific interventions and in a more
capillary method with the aim to invest in the precious inheritance
offered by the neighbourhood resulting in a more substantial quality.
Living at Porta Palazzo
Forms of discrimination (above all towards foreigners but also towards
elderly people, single women with children and more generally towards
the weaker social groups), the physical and hygienic conditions of the
buildings (the diffuse custom not to respect the minimum safety and
hygiene standards), illegal situations (clandestine immigration, exploitation,
non-existent or illegal rent contracts etc.) are just a few of the critical
areas which the neighbourhood of Porta Palazzo must deal with: the conditions
of housing and the way which Porta Palazzo is inhabited are often cause
of serious conflict and even more frequently they represent obstacles
to integration and the ability of the inhabitants to live together in
the neighbourhood. The Gate Project intends to offer itself as an antenna
placed within the territory, able to monitor the housing situation in
Porta Palazzo and to offer adequate solutions for the neighbourhood
to the City administration.
Commercial property for new activities: database and services to
help settlement within the area.
An indicator of the revitalisation of a neighbourhood is most certainly
the growth in demand for commercial property to start up new activities.
Tens of potential and effective entrepreneurs have turned to the Porta
Palazzo Project requesting information regarding commercial property
in which to set up their entrepreneurial ideas: this brings together
a fervid demand full of resources and a supply, reserved and still unaware
of its potential. A database, possibly online, that is always updated
with the availability and the procedures required to access new commercial
property, will constitute the main tool offering a service that, together
with those put forward in the Economic Area, will revitalise and consistently
help the entrepreneurial spirit in the area of Porta Palazzo.
Ex Cirič-Lanzo station: an example of private reconversion in a
neighbourhood undergoing revitalisation
The complex of the ex Cirič-Lanzo station situated in Corso Giulio Cesare
number 15-17, is an example of an historic building, which has been
restored and destined for use as the offices of Satti; an underused
area and a series of buildings, some of which were in a terrible state
of decay and were previously used for the maintenance of the railway
carriages and locomotives, was identified as a strategic and significant
site for the re-launch of the neighbourhood and so The Gate project
took on this responsibility implementing some of its initiatives within
the complex. A feasibility study was drawn up which, elaborated as a
modern area marketing tool using a clear British inspiration (Camden
Lock, Spittalfields, Portobello), assumed a series of re-use scenarios
destined for private entrepreneurs. Extremely important economic and
cultural players are ready to fund the whole re-conversion of the area
with their investments. The Gate is working so that the feasibility
study can be implemented and that the restoration works on the station
can be carried out, always bearing in mind the importance of a democratic
use of the new structure and results that will offer added value to
the community.