The three cities of the drOp project—Ermua, Elva, and Matera—recently travelled to Milan, with Materahub as a guide, seeking inspiration for their urban regeneration journeys. What did they find? Fantastic examples of how to engage communities and support residents in improving their homes.
First, the group visited our sister project, ProLight, and toured one of their six demonstration districts: the Urbana New Living development. This 137-unit, predominantly social housing district in Milan is a ProLight showcase managed by Planetidea. It integrates smart technologies and energy-efficient solutions to promote sustainable living and strengthen community engagement. Residents participate in co-creation via Planet Smart City’s “Citizen Lab,” discussing local services and sustainable practices. The Planet App further supports residents by providing booking services, fostering neighborly exchanges, and offering insights into energy consumption and carbon footprints. With photovoltaic panels and an A+ energy label, the district also explores renewable energy use.
On the theme of community living, we visited the Borgo Intergenerazionale Greco (BiG) initiative, a project near Milan designed to support young people, mothers with children seeking independence, and elderly residents seeking to maintain autonomy. Once a small town outside Milan, the area has been revitalized with new buildings and the restoration of a 15th-century ‘cassina,’ a historic structure owned by the municipality. Coordinated by the Abicittà cooperative, BiG also runs social programs for the community, including creative uses of local infrastructure, such as converting rail line bridges into a sports centre.
Since culture and art are pillars of the drOp Integrated Renovation Methodology, we also explored the Museo d’Arte Paolo Pini, located in a former asylum. This project began in the 1980s as an effort to reduce patient isolation by inviting artists to create murals and artwork inside and outside the buildings, blending art with the space’s history and Milan’s artistic legacy. The museum, now holding over 150 artworks, uses art therapy to break stereotypes and connect the facility to the wider community. Supported by NGO Arca Onlus, the museum continues to serve as a bridge between art, healing, and inclusion.
On the internal front, the drOp project has reached its third milestone: prioritizing actions in the intervention and implementation phase. In Ermua, citizen engagement and co-governance are actively being tested. The local structure includes the Municipality and project team, with the Executive Commission consisting of citizen organizations, NGOs, and representatives from the local culture and creative industries. This process includes engaging residents, co-creating actions, testing them in practice, and evaluating the results. One key takeaway: citizen engagement takes time, patience, and trust-building to ensure that residents’ voices are truly heard by decision-makers.
Finally, local economic development in Ermua has made significant strides. The Municipality, assisted by the drOp team, has developed training programs, including a digital skills module that will be rolled out in the coming months, addressing local needs and gaps in expertise.
What is Next?
While Ermua is preparing to test the developing IRM, Elva and Matera are focused on replicating it. During the last year of the project, drOp partners will continue to align their efforts with the Affordable Housing Initiative, which shares the goal of making homes more accessible, sustainable, and inclusive across Europe. By applying the lessons learned in Ermua, Elva, and Matera, drOp aims to further contribute to this broader European movement, fostering social inclusion, economic growth, and energy efficiency in housing.