EnvIM Urban Workshop in Turin
These were the core questions that students from the Post-Master’s Program ENVIM – Environmental Management and Engineering at ISIGE – MINES Paris – PSL explored during their urban field workshop in Turin, Italy.
Over the course of one week, the students immersed themselves in the Aurora district, a former industrial area adjacent to the city center that has experienced significant urban challenges and transformations over the past four decades.
With the support of researchers from the Politecnico di Torino – Aurora Lab, the Politecnico di Milano, and ISIGE Mines Paris-PSL, and thanks to the generous support of Circoscrizione 7 (the local district administration), the students were tasked with imagining the 2030–2050 urban agenda for this dynamic and complex neighborhood.
Organized into three interdisciplinary groups, they focused on distinct but interconnected visions of ecological transition:
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Inclusive Urbanism
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Healthy Urbanism
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Net-Zero Urbanism
Working in a charrette-style format, the students first developed an empirical, evidence-based, and themed diagnosis of the neighborhood. They then proposed strategic concepts and action plans aimed at fostering the district’s sustainable and inclusive transformation.
On Friday, April 11, 2025, the students presented their findings and recommendations to representatives of the City of Turin, members of the local NGO Fondazione Comunità di Porta Palazzo, and a group of urban researchers and practitioners working on the Aurora district. The presentations sparked intense and promising discussions, opening up new avenues for collaborative thinking between academia, local government, and civil society.
This workshop is part of the ENVIM program’s broader commitment to experiential learning and international collaboration, preparing future professionals to address complex environmental and urban challenges with rigor, creativity, and a systemic perspective.
