Every year, Politecnico di Milano selects five research projects with a high social impact and, with the financial contribution of people who choose to allocate their 5x1000 Irpef donations to the University, supports them during the implementation of concrete and incisive 'pilot experiences':
In 2022, for instance, we dealt with 'Local Development and Ecological Transition'. The five selected research groups have until the end of 2024 to concretise their ideas, which are usually short-term realisable projects , though aiming to be replicable and have a long-term effect.
Five projects: one to be developed in Milan, three in Africa and one in Brazil. Their common goal is to green our planet starting with very specific contexts: turning waste into fuel without cutting down trees; tackling climate change in cities; a project for a super-efficient farm that makes the best use of the land’s assets; techniques to breathe new life into a valley in Algeria by combining ancient knowledge and state-of-the-art technology; and cutting-edge orthopaedic solutions to improve health in Lombardy while saving money and respecting the environment.
They are:
The effects of desertification are strongly felt in urban areas as well. The city of Brasilia, in particular, with its size and criticality, has been hit by frequent droughts in recent years, which have prompted the city to declare a state of emergency several times, leading to the closure of schools and parks, with serious social consequences. NBSouth explores nature-based solutions (NBS), namely the sustainable management and use of natural resources to address socio-environmental challenges such as climate change, water risk, water pollution, food security, human health and environmental disaster risk management.
The fieldwork team is developing strategies for ad-hoc green infrastructure management and contributing to the definition of policies for socio-economic development and environmental resilience. Special attention is paid to water management, thermoregulation and infrastructural adaptation of densely populated urban areas.
