Human cities/SMOTIES: creative works with small and remote places is a research project co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe program. This project involves institutions, associations, and citizens from ten small and remote European locations, each of which holds a unique but lesser-known material and immaterial culture at risk of being forgotten.

The project is part of Human Cities, an interdisciplinary exchange platform; founded in 2006 and consisting of a network of 10 major partners from as many European cities, the platform explores the design of public spaces and services for the territory through active involvement of residents and local stakeholders.

Researchers, designers and artists involved in the SMOTIES network contribute their skills and knowledge to support local communities in selected countries. Together with local residents, existing associations, and relevant municipalities, they design innovative public spaces and services, widespread and inclusive strategies aimed at enhancing the territory's specific features, making it attractive to outsiders, and boosting the local economy while strengthening its identity.

In this context, the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano has collaborated with stakeholders in the Basso Monferrato area of Piemonte. Their goal is to enhance the region's enogastronomic, historical-artistic, and tourism-hospitality features while fostering the co-creation of shared spaces and services.

This area has thus become a fertile ground for participatory planning of future scenarios and design solutions to support the territory by:

All this has been made possible thanks to the support and collaboration of a broad and diverse group, including students, research and teaching staff, collaborators, members of the community, and local stakeholders (associations, public administrations, informal groups, entrepreneurial entities).

In practice, a series of project interventions have been implemented or planned to be implemented on a network of 8 key locations in the town of Albugnano. The project includes interventions on signage, mobile urban furnishings, lightweight structures, and infrastructure, approached through a participatory co-design process and listening to the community, with the aim of regenerating, enhancing, and promoting the territory and its resources.

The project, started in November 2020, will conclude in October 2024 with the presentation of the achieved results and actions.