Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

The “School of Neighborhoods” is the best urban regeneration project 

Milan, November 20 2019 – Milan is the city that wins the “CRESCO AWARD” in the best urban regeneration project category. And it achieves this thanks to the "Neighbourhood School", the program wanted by the Municipality of Milan and implemented with funds from the National Operational Program PON Metropolitan Cities (PON Metro) to help citizens transform their ideas into new projects, social enterprises or services useful to the community and to the life of the neighborhoods. The prestigious recognition was awarded to the representatives of the Administration today in Arezzo, on the occasion of the 36th ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities) assembly.

The award was awarded with the motivation: "The School of Neighborhoods was unanimously chosen by the Cresco Award Jury chaired by Professor Ferruccio Resta, Rector of the Polytechnic of Milan, as 'Best urban regeneration project' for having promoted the growth of capacity citizens' planning while generating, at the same time, greater social cohesion".

“The Neighborhood School”, created by the Municipality of Milan, is not a physical space but a training course and multidisciplinary activities to transmit knowledge and practical tools expressly aimed at citizens, including those of the European Union or foreigners with a regular residence permit , who want to transform their ideas into concrete, long-lasting and sustainable projects. There are no age or educational qualification limits to access the School, all you need is the desire to get involved and give birth to something new with the right idea. The projects can range from services for people and neighbourhoods, commercial and artisanal social enterprises, mutual aid projects, spaces for social aggregation, artistic and cultural promotion activities, reuse, recycling, environmental protection up to sport and well-being, training and education etc. 
The selected projects access a totally free 10-week training course to move from theory to practice and learn everything needed to transform an idea into a real project. The course takes place non-continuously to meet the needs of citizens who study or work. 
The second phase, at the end of the 10 weeks, provides a "project grant" of up to a maximum of 25 thousand euros as a non-repayable grant aimed at financing the first year of the activity and a support and tutoring service aimed at accompanying the project in all phases. phases, from start-up to reporting.  

The CRESCO AWARD Sustainable Cities, promoted by the Sodalitas Foundation with the patronage and collaboration of ANCI and the partnership of advanced companies on the sustainability front, aims to enhance the innovative drive of Italian municipalities and to reward the most effective initiatives in promoting widespread sustainable development of territories.