In search of comfort in the city

The Porticoes of Bologna are shaded infrastructures, always judged to be of "great comfort" by citizens and visitors. They therefore constitute a protected connection network between climate shelters, and could be a solution to the problem of urban heat islands.

These considerations gave rise to the ‘Shadow Lines’ project, which was included in the new Management Plan and submitted for funding under Law 77/2006 of the Ministry of Culture.

The porticoed paths connecting the climate shelters identified by the Municipality will be singled out, characterised by a greater presence of shade depending on the time of day. In this way, heat relief will be combined with a cultural experience.

For this reason, much attention has been given to the work of the Advanced Design 2B Integrated Workshop of the Master's Degree Course in Advanced Design, a Services curriculum of the University of Bologna, which is presented below with some student works.

The workshop is the educational space where students tackle the great challenges of the digital, energy and green transition, applying them to the urban scale.
Within this course, the city is viewed as a complex network of social relations, infrastructure, environmental and energy issues; it requires systemic visions and design solutions capable of generating concrete impacts.

The workshop was led by a multidisciplinary team of professors from the University of Bologna:

• Professors Danila Longo and Beatrice Turillazzi (Integrated Technological Design, Department of Architecture),
• Professor Carlo Alberto Nucci (Electrical Systems for Energy, Department of Electricity and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi"),
• Professor Daniela Mazza (Telecommunications, Department of Architecture).
  
  The tutor was Matteo Recalcati (graduate student).
  
  In addition, teachers and researchers involved in the development of the Digital Twin of Bologna collaborated on the course: Professor Elena Maria Formia, Martina Massari and Rossella Roversi and Martino Pietropoli (Department of Architecture), Professor Vando Borghi (Department of Sociology and Economics Law), Professor Claudio Coletta and Edoardo Colombani (Department of Philosophy).
  Giada Coleandro and Federico Bomba contributed to the educational element. The initiative took place in synergy with the EUI TALEA project.
  
  In the second semester of the 2024-2025 academic year, the students worked in collaboration with the IU Rusconi Ghigi Foundation and the Municipality of Bologna, contributing to the broader Civic Digital Twin project. The objective was twofold:
• experiment with modes of interaction between citizens and urban digital infrastructure through touchpoint prototypes and innovative services;
• test co-design, storytelling and rapid prototyping methods to generate accessible, understandable and socially fair solutions.
  
  The projects thus developed address some of the most urgent issues for Bologna and, more generally, for contemporary cities. Each group worked on a specificbrief, in dialogue with civic, technological and institutional stakeholders:

1. Public park management platform – digital and participatory tools to improve the maintenance, use and enhancement of urban greenery.
2. Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) at Pilastro – solutions for social inclusion and the fight against energy poverty, strengthening the role of citizens as prosumers.
3. Participatory monitoring of urban mobility – data collection systems and interfaces to assess energy efficiency and sustainable use of mobility.
4. Network of green and smart corridors – integrated infrastructure for scooters and electric bikes, aimed at promoting smooth and safe mobility.
5. Energy counselling services for vulnerable families – digital tools and direct support to tackle energy poverty, with a focus on social inclusion.
6. Climate shelter and multifunctional energy hub – models of resilient and safe spaces, integrated with innovative energy functions and with strong community value.
   
   Through these projects, students shaped functional prototypes (apps, physical and digital mock-ups, storytelling, interactive maps), investigating how the Digital Twin can become a civic tool to serve urban governance and social justice.
   
   The final workshop in May 2025 made it possible to test and validate the prototypes with thematic stakeholders, gathering feedback that will form the basis for further developments and possible applications in real-life scenarios of the city.