Journal arrow_forward

News and events promoted by CRAFT and our partners

RESEARCH, TRAINING AND COMPETENCES FOR ANTI-FRAGILE TERRITORIES / A PERMANENT OBSERVATORY / AN ACCELERATOR FOR INNOVATION AND SUPPORT TO PUBLIC ACTION

RESEARCH, TRAINING AND COMPETENCES FOR ANTI-FRAGILE TERRITORIES / A PERMANENT OBSERVATORY / AN ACCELERATOR FOR INNOVATION AND SUPPORT TO PUBLIC ACTION

Work streams

Our generative spaces of ideas, projects and collaboration

The Competence Centre works on the development of methodologies and design approaches that help public administrations to make the most of uncertainty, complexity, fragmentation and to build enabling conditions.

Events

OPEN FORUM arrow_forward

A space for debate and public discussion on territorial transformation processes, fragility and the means to activate antifragile resources.

Services

RESEARCH HUB arrow_forward

A hub of national and international relations and strategic alliances aimed at building stable and qualified research networks and open and collaborative production of research.

Milano MetroHUB Centre

Politecnico di Milano and UnHabitat for metropolitan challenges

#craftinAction

Milano MetroHUB Centre on Metropolitan Dynamics

Milano MetroHUB Centre on Metropolitan Dynamics is an initiative of Politecnico di Milano and CRAFT (Competence Center Anti-fragilieTerritories) in collaboration with UN-Habitat, . Milano MetroHUB Centre focuses on addressing the complex challenges of urbanisation and leveraging metropolitan areas' potential as engines of sustainable development and human prosperity. The collaboration seeks to develop innovative solutions through knowledge exchange, research, and collaboration. Our mission The Centre's mission is to focus on three main interconnected goals: 1) Metropolitan learning circle and high-level education and training: Design and deliver new tailored learning spaces and tools open to master students, civil servants, experts, policymakers  2) Science for/in metropolitan diplomacy: Contribute to making visible the new metropolitan dimension of the urban and its implications in the research and policy arenas involved in urban transitions while collaborating with international networks working on metropolitan subjects. 3) Metropolitan research and practice interface/ pilot projects: Promote and support innovative research projects inspired by critical theory and interested in addressing operative policy questions and problems by promoting design spaces generated at the intersection of academics, policymakers, and civil servants. What we can offer: • We provide specialised research, capacity building, and consultancy expertise for metropolitan cities and city-regions, focusing on trans-scalar processes, the role of urban design and planning, new built form types of metropolitan architecture, urbanity through collective landscapes rethinking urban borders.  • We offer a trans-disciplinary, design-oriented and place-based approach oriented to social impact.  • We share networks and relationships. • We can provide low-cost or pro-bono input to local authorities across the world.
Keep reading arrow_forward

In Focus

Insights and recommended readings

#craftinAction

Our pilot projects

Anti-fragility Lab is CRAFT's incubator of ideas and a driving force of "projects" in the broadest sense practiced within DAStU, i.e. of strategies, visions and actions. In March 2024, we closed our first call for ideas, aimed at promoting, consolidating and financing exploratory practices and design and research experiments characterized by: • a notable methodological and process innovation • the promotion of partnerships with territorial and institutional actors • the development of products and tools capable of generating effective impacts (cultural, social, spatial, environmental) in the territories • a contribution to the capacity of public administration to face the challenges related to transition, in conditions of crisis and uncertainty The selected projects face specific challenges for the context of reference or area of intervention, but have in common the attention to the connected socio-spatial fragility dynamics. Among the admitted projects we find: • National Biodiversity Future Center - Planning biodiverse and antifragile cities by Maria Chiara Pastore in collaboration with CNR and local authorities • Italian atlas of deaths (and seriously injuried) on bicycles by Paolo Bozzuto (Coordinator), Fabio Manfredini, Emilio Guastamacchia • The Sea of Lecce by Federico Zanfi and Francesco Curci in collaboration with the Municipality of Lecce • School segregation by Marta Cordini (coordinator), Andrea Parma and Costanzo Ranci • Spatial regeneration for the ecological and digital transition in the Alpine macroregion - A pilot project for Valtellina in the framework of the European EUSALP strategy by Andrea Arcidiacono and Stefano Di Vita • ProdAction Production Places in Transition - The fragility of territories and ordinary spaces of production, logistics and work by Cristiana Mattioli (coordinator), Eugenio Morello • Hybrid socio-cultural spaces in marginal mountain areas by Federica Maria Rossi (Project Coordinator), Ilaria Mariotti The projects financed by the center: • anchor themselves to the concept of anti-fragility and critically interpret its challenges • contribute to the formation of knowledge, skills, tools, planning and research capabilities that the Center makes available to a wider audience made up of local and institutional actors • contribute to the Teaching Excellence program, thanks to the development of knowledge, skills, approaches, and tools capable of producing high-quality training offered by DAStU
Keep reading arrow_forward

Open School

Spaces for learning and experimentation

#craftinAction

Antifragility at play. Exploring Antifragile approachesto urban planning, design and policy

From February 10th to 14th, 2025, the Politecnico di Milano had the honor of hosting the International Week, bringing together students and faculty from University Gustave Eiffel, Hafencity University Hamburg, University of Ljubljana, University of Malmö, and Politecnico di Milano. The central theme, "Antifragility at Play", guided discussions and workshops aimed at exploring antifragile approaches to urban planning, design, and policy. This year, students had the opportunity to work directly with CRAFT's pilot projects, using their diverse backgrounds and expertise to reflect on and propose innovative strategies to address urban and territorial fragilities. The experience was not only an exercise in applied learning but also a demonstration of how interdisciplinary collaboration can contribute to real-world challenges. The week was structured around lectures, site visits, and intensive workshops, with each student group focusing on one of the pilot projects. The aim was to critically assess the projects and provide insights on how antifragile methodologies could enhance their impact. Highlights from the Pilot Projects • School Segregation: Breaking Barriers in Education This project examines how socio-spatial inequalities shape school segregation and explores interventions to create more inclusive educational environments. Students analyzed patterns of school choice and mobility, considering how planning tools and policies could promote greater social equity. Discussions also centered on the role of local administrations in fostering educational inclusivity. • Atlante San Vittore: Rethinking Prison Environments A visit to San Vittore prison allowed students to explore the Atlante San Vittore project, which seeks to improve the prison’s habitability. The project acts as both an operational tool and a capacitation pathway, addressing the multiple needs of the prison from a design perspective. Students provided feedback on how spatial reconfigurations could support rehabilitation and community reintegration while fostering a more humane environment for inmates and staff. • Unconventional Affordable Housing This project explores the intersection of affordability and unconventionality in contemporary living. By reflecting on existing housing models and alternative solutions, students examined strategies such as transformative reuse of buildings, co-housing models, and collaborative housing schemes. Their proposals focused on enhancing adaptability in housing policies while considering social, economic, and environmental sustainability. • Financialization of the Urban Market The discussions around Milan's real estate dynamics highlighted the increasing impact of financialization, where investment-driven property markets shape urban landscapes and affect affordability. Students critically analyzed the role of speculative investments and urban transformations, proposing antifragile planning strategies to balance economic growth with equitable access to housing and public services. • Digital and Territorial Transformations This project investigates how digital infrastructures, such as data centers and logistics hubs, are reshaping urban and intermediate territories. Students explored the environmental and socio-economic impacts of these transformations, debating strategies to regulate their expansion while ensuring local communities benefit from technological advancements rather than being marginalized by them. Throughout the week, the students engaged in an iterative learning process, where theory met practice. Each pilot project session was structured as a two-way dialogue, with researchers and students exchanging insights and co-developing potential directions for future work. This approach reinforced CRAFT’s commitment to active, participatory research, ensuring that antifragility is not just a theoretical concept but an applied strategy for territorial resilience. The International Week 2025 demonstrated that the antifragile approach can serve as a powerful lens to rethink urban and territorial challenges. By working on real projects, students contributed to shaping more adaptive, inclusive, and resilient cities. We extend our gratitude to all the participating students, faculty, and researchers who made this experience so enriching. 
Keep reading arrow_forward

Ampère 20

Our multipurpose headquarters

CRAFT's headquarters are located in Milan, via Ampere 20. It is a complex multifunctional space where higher education training, applied research and outreach come together and integrate. A building part of the university campus but open on/to the city, fueling continuous and open interaction between the university and society.

Visit us arrow_forward

Let's stay in touch! Subscribe to our newsletter