As part of the research program “MUSA, Multi-layered Urban Sustainability Action,” funded by the PNRR and carried out by four Milan-based universities (Milano-Bicocca, Statale, Bocconi, and Politecnico), one area of focus is on social sustainability and territorial welfare. The Department of Architecture and Urban Studies and the Department of Design at Politecnico are conducting a research project, “E-Welfare in the City: Physical and Digital Spaces for Social Inclusion in the Milan Metropolitan Area,” involving urban planners, sociologists, and designers.

The research examines inequalities in access to welfare as digitalization progresses, aiming to (re)mediate and reduce digital divides and challenges. After mapping data and analyzing spaces that integrate physical and digital modalities—primarily in the city of Milan—the study focuses on Rozzano and its Vocational Training Center (CFP), selected for its socio-economic and demographic characteristics.

The contribution of the Department of Design includes mapping, analysis, and co-design activities. The goal is to test how physical spaces, technologies, and skills can help reduce digital divides, prevent school dropout, and promote an integrated and inclusive welfare system.

The project aims to develop solutions to facilitate access to digital welfare and reduce inequalities by proposing a space for (re)intermediation between citizens and resources. The methodology includes interviews with key stakeholders, analysis of spaces and services, ethnographic observations, and co-design with communities.

The results achieved include:

1. Exploratory mapping in Milan: analysis of 9 WeMi cases and 2 Off Campus cases, resulting in a dossier.

2. Report on Rozzano: a socio-demographic study and mapping of services and associations.

3. Co-design workshops: multilayered activities focusing on spaces and services in Rozzano (ongoing).

4.Design a pilot space at the CFP in Rozzano, serving as a digital (re)intermediation hub.