Key Innovation
The garden as a place of social aggregation and therapeutics for the elderly.

Problematic background and context
The Milan Park North, has characteristic that generate a green lung within the city, generating a direct contribution to the degradation of a zone industrialist. With the necessity to use its ample capacity of space and to contribute socially, the partnership that administers the park has decide to provide of a space to old pensioners who live in the 6 communes who conform the park, for it to postulate, to accept norms and to be accepted, the contribution is translated in occupying terrains for the development of gardens to produce vegetables and food, generating a social and highly therapeutic project, promoting the own dependency and I tie with external sectors, the contribution of the space to I publish allows, to be visited by I publish of the park, generating a contact with natural activities.

Solution description
Service provided by the consortium that lodges the 6 communes who group the park. The lands of the gardens are provided under leasing to greater people of 60 anuses, man or housewife, which when postulating and soon being accepted can occupy a space which is common. When participating in this project the pensioners commit themselves to fulfil the norms of the consortium and to make a correct use of the common space, next to it must participate in seminaries, meetings and activities that promote the general project. The leasing process is renewable each 6 and the use of lands to cultivate. Next to it they can obtain the fruits and foods produced for personal use, have water by 3 half days, postal cost and secretary.

Timeframe
started in 1998

Development phase
Anywhere in the world exist approximate 200 million agriculturist urban, create food to 700 million person, produce product in area without building, many nation European be affiliate to the office international of garden, this count with three million of enrolled. the previous experience have allow create this initiative in Milan. For the administration of the consortium the main objective its can obtain in the month of summer, in the winter period present some difficulty by reason of climate. The connection and contact with the publish of the park present problem because the visitor not give a due care to the land of the garden. in this sense of the plantation and later production of vegetable the activity not present problem. _ action innovating of this kind have can be detect in France and Finland, where the objective have be give place of contact with the natures to great city

Revenue/costs model
– Pensioners pay a very low rate (40 Euros per year) to have in use the vegetable gardens and to get the dedicated services – Pensioners buy seeds and plants by their own – Access to service is given to eligible users by public competition and pass-list – The Consortium managing the park gets paid from the pensioners – Providers of services and tools supply the park after open public competition.

Social evaluation
The possibility to generate an own dependence, being a contribution to the entrance and family economy, to share experiences and to show their results is the advantages that allow the old people to increase their own valuation and to find a real contribution sense to the community and their families. The activities developed in the orchards allow to give new activities to a city of high industrial level, next to give to the visitors of the park, vital areas and the contact with natural activities.

Environmental evaluation
As activity with high social emphasis, the orchards don’t produce environmental damages. They are a direct contribution to the park, allowing their visitors a direct contact with activities and the natural culture, promoting the consumption of vegetable products, for the dimensions of the orchards, contamination doesn’t take place for garbage, there are not nets of transport that they produce damages to the areas of the environment and of the park.

Economical evaluation
The project of the urban gardens doesn’t have any purpose of profit, if not relative to an annual tax that every consumer has to pour, and this justifies the idea of departure of the to socialize as first objectives. For the participant members of the consortium it is a direct contribution for their family economy, because the production of vegetables is for use and personal handling, next to it can promote it small and medium commercial activities, as the sale of vegetable and organic products, lease of tools and gardening occupations.

Authors
Elvis Meneghel, German Espinoza / Politecnico di Milano / Italy