by Urban fragility, environmental crises and social inequalities are the challenges faced by CRAFT – Competence Centre on Anti-Fragile Territories, the new centre of expertise of the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU) at the Politecnico di Milano.
Funded by the Ministry of University and Research as part of the Departments of Excellence programme, CRAFT was launched with the ambitious goal of developing tools, methodologies and project-based approaches capable of strengthening the resilience of territories, and of transforming fragility into a resource.
The convergence of research and action
CRAFT is both a physical place (an innovative and experimental work and discussion space, which directly overlooks the street in Via Ampère 20, Milan, Leonardo Campus), and a project platform established to bring together universities, public institutions, professionals and local communities. CRAFT, coordinated by Prof. Valeria Fedeli, actively involves many professors and researchers of the Department, as well as research staff employed using ministerial funds.
The centre comprises 4 main lines of action:
- Open Forum: this permanent, open and multi-faceted observatory focused on fragilities promotes events, debates and moments of public discussion on territorial fragilities. Research and civil society converge to create a dialogue that enriches both academic production and the definition of public policies.
- Anti-fragility Lab: an innovation accelerator that develops pilot projects, methodological tools and open calls to support administrations and territories in managing transformation processes. It is a testing ground for innovative design approaches and strategies capable of transforming fragility into opportunities.
- School of Excellence: training courses for students, PhD candidates, professionals and public officials. Masters degrees, summer schools, workshops and specialist courses aim to train a generation of experts capable of addressing anti-fragility challenges with interdisciplinary skills.
- Research Hub: a national and international network for collaborative production of knowledge and for sharing experiences. Designed to enhance cooperation and knowledge-sharing between universities, research organisations, institutions and communities.
More than 20 pilot projects are already active on issues ranging from climate adaptation to sustainable mobility, from territorial welfare to strategies for marginal areas, besides new forms of access to housing and post-crisis reconstruction.
Hashtags to describe transformations
CRAFT has identified five key themes, grouped into hashtags, to describe and guide its activities:
- #ClimateAntiFragileTerritories: tells the story of the effects of climate change on the territory, the built environment, and the landscape.
- #TransitioningSpaces: tells the story of economic and social transformations in urban spaces and in the various forms of economic organisation.
- #EnablingMarginalTerritories: tells the story of development strategies for marginal territories and inland areas, which are often excluded from decision-making processes.
- #EmergingUrbanQuestions: talks about the new challenges related to the right to the city, to sustainable mobility, to accessible welfare and to housing.
- #DesignForAntiFragility: tells the story of the role of urban planning and design in crisis management, and in building enabling conditions for the future.
These hashtags are actual research and action sites, capable of guiding interdisciplinary activities, and of catalysing collaborations between various actors.
A hub with an international calling
CRAFT is not just looking at Milan or Italy alone. The centre promotes Milano MetroHUB, an initiative developed in conjunction with UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. The aim is to address the challenges of metropolitan dynamics, support urban diplomacy on a global scale, and contribute to building more sustainable, inclusive and resilient cities.
By organising advanced training activities, interdisciplinary research and pilot projects, Milano MetroHUB focuses on three main areas:
- the creation of learning spaces dedicated to students and policymakers;
- the production of knowledge to fuel metropolitan diplomacy;
- the development of applied research to address urgent operational issues.
A bridge between universities and society
As such, CRAFT is a new frontier for the Politecnico di Milano, a space in which academic research meets public policies and communities, creating concrete projects and experiments capable of transforming territorial fragilities into opportunities for innovation and collective growth.
At a time marked by climate crises, geopolitical instability, and increasingly complex social challenges, CRAFT is a laboratory of the future. It is a place where uncertainty is not suffered but interpreted, transformed into an opportunity for learning, innovation and anti-fragility.