Networked Urbanism

design thinking initiatives for a better urban life

Design critics: Belinda Tato and Jose Luis Vallejo, principals of Ecosistema Urbano

 

The topics of the project are:  Economy, Social Life and Resources.

We made a research on how economy could be improved in Nurra, by working with their own resources.

Starting from the beginning we want to analyze our pros and cons for each step.

“THINK BIGGER”

Due to this recent hard times for Economy people started to join different trade systems.

And the way to do it would be by proposing an exchange system of skills and local resources, by using a local virtual currency, by increasing tourism and communication and by creating a platform of networking activities.

We started to investigate what happens locally and check up the real situation by asking for specific datas, making some tests…and video-interviews and here are some results:

100% said that we need a place to meet friends

100%  said that I can be a potential farmer

90% said that we need a local food market

So we tried to think about a real solution starting from their needs.

Now in Nurra they have 72% of empty fields and 50 % of unemployed young people, but the 60% of them has farming skills at least to produce food for themselves. They could start working on their lands and expand their network towards the city.

So we thought about design an itinerant food market that could became also an important meeting point, a place where they could exchange products and skills.

In this way we planned a three steps long-term strategy for a social exchange process to develop a new rural economy.

Starting from hobby farmers, their empty fields, and their skills,  they could activate a small free-exchange market in order to attract visitors!

Network of people would increase in order to have a consortium, introducing also a direct purchase, a enlargement of the market with some associations who can connect them to the big cities.

Finding some fundings they could turn into professional farmers with bigger production and a bigger network of people trading with other companies.

ACT LOCALLY

We came back in Tottubella where we found key people who started to help us.

We created a page on Facebook and we tried to involve them! We designed a logo and we named the project!  We posted some examples but people didn’t react ‘cos they don’t have any internet connection.

We kept on trying! We planned a meeting in Tottubella and we realized that the group was bigger and they planned a meeting with a voluntary association called AlfaUno where we proposed our project.

We pushed something new for them: a ay of street market where they could promote themselves just free-exchanging!

Then we realized that maybe in a next future it’s Nurra that has to be online and not associations who need to come overthere!!

Thus we designed a web site, as if it is a social network where people can meet other people who are offering what they’re looking and exchange it in the way they prefer. It works like a database where you can look for products…or skills…and different ways of trading, such as free exchange or money trade. You can even find there some associations who can help you to increase your market.

You can also meet new friends… you just have to create your profile, offer something and start to interact using your mail box!

Young people already helped us by fulfilling profiles and it seems they liked it.

In a long term thinking this could be very valuable for different reasons. They can increase their network, they can create teams of producers and realize a new market, and in this way they can be aware of which is their main product and the amount of production, without the need of a big investment.

As first experience in the real world we are happy that we pushed them through new thinking and consciousness.

We hope that we left them at least with some curiosity.

http://meetinmarcha.weebly.com/index.html


Asking to several groups of citizens we realized they don’t completly agree with our idea of “barter”, even if they told us the opposite at the begining.

They showed us they were available, but when we asked for a completely participation they did a step off.

Also the association who was involved in that with a strong part on the process were unsure about the event. They gave us two reasons:

According to this situation we decided to do a step back too and to not being involved in this legal stuff.

We had a new plan for our project is just under construction!!

STAY TUNED!


Ex-cinema_Tottubella

Our team is turning bigger and bigger!! We need more space! Thus we asked an association who is actually managing the old-cinema in Tottubella if it’s possible to use the big room for our meetings and they answered we can go there just sending a fixed calendar.

Now we have an offical place for two days a week till the event!!


Meet-in Marchà Fan page

We keep on working to realize a real event  in Tottubella. This event will be at the end of June, and in order to do that we are still building our network of participants.

We built a new page on FB expanding our contacts and also to external people. We also kept the FB profile in order to have two levels of communications.

 

Mostra Mercato in Tottubella #2 Mostra Mercato in Tottubella #1

Yesterday we have been to the local “Mostra Mercato” in Tottubella, and chatting with the event organizer we realize the common aim we have. So we decided to work together, and tomorrow we will have a meeting again in Tottubella in order to discuss all the points we could share and in which way their event and their process need to be implemented and improved.

They seemed to be very open to discussion and new ideas. So they started to introduce us to other key-people who attended the event yesterday, who are really oriented in doing a free-exchange.

So far we collected the following key-people:

– Young people from Tottubella – The great part who really deserves this new process – we have several experts with specific skills or products;

– “MostraMercato” organizer – They already know how to organize an event in Tottubella, and they already have all necessary contacts with municipality – They already presents our project to the politicians who showed a good interest;

– Small producers who supports our strategy of free-exchange – (at least 3. next attendants waited for this next tuesday);

– the Priest in Tottubella – key-person for connection with families;

– AlfaUno Association – voluntary Association in Tottubella who works in the real society helping citizens – They showed us a very good help spirit and good connection with local press and media;

– Group of artists from all over Sardinia – They accepted to attend the next event without be payed – Still in process terms of exchange;

– Lollove – Online press focused on new developing process in Sardinia, art, architecture, design – We will have an article;

 


In order to present our new brand for a new market project in the Nurra area, we planned a meeting event in Tottubella, published on project’s Facebook page called “Tottu in Pares Tottubella” (Sardinian language sentence for “All together Tottubella”).

We printed out several flyiers to show citizens how the project could be developed and which step we could pass trhough to get the goal.

Flyiers

Once there we met some guys who are interested into partecipate and we found out there is an Volountary Association called “Alfa uno”, who are going to help us in order to realize our project. They offered us to meet each other together with their president, some members and the young guys, who welcomed us, in one own house of them. When we were sitting at the table all together, we had the chance to present and propose our project, distribuiting our flyiers to each one of them, and having a nice and peaceful conversation about the aim and the way to realize a real market event in TottuBella at the end of June.

They offerd us to clean up and set up an old abandoned kindergarten, that is now a storage but unused by citizen, even if it is a public building.

meeting

We planned better a strategy to produce something really different and we tried to figure out who could be the key people for the event, also realizing which activities we could really produce without paying any taxes.

In order to produce a flexible prototype for the market desk we tried to check which material we could have for free and how we could have them. Citizens seemed to be very interested and involved in the process, so far.

We are looking forward to go further and push the work to produce a real social and economical movement in the Nurra area.

 

 


Our project has a name and a logo!!

Here it is!!! It comes out from a words-game between english and Sardinian language meaning “Meet in Market“. Where “meeting” becomes “Meet-in” and “market” becomes “Marchaddu” (in Sardinian language) and then a short versione as “Marchà” —> MEET-IN MARCHÀ

Logo Meet-in Marchà

Let’s start to share it and make it working!!


My work can be visualized on Francesca Tocco’s post


My update for the work is published by Francesca Tocco


Here the first video about Economy topic for our Studio about Networked Urbanism in Nurra.

Concept for this first step has been the free-exchange of goods, services and knowledges between individuals. We are still investigating if that concept is something that actually really fits on our site. Thus we started from the Economic and Resource topic trying to focus on a social aim as well, in order to revitalize the whole area by its own origin: the agriculture and its goods.

Next step will be investigating more by chatting with local people and asking them to answer some questionnaires.

Stay tuned!!


My place is the placeless. Let's work together and renovate the whole world!



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