Manufacturing constitutes a significant portion of the world’s total economic activity and industry occupies large areas of our built environment. Yet, we tend to think about industry in an economic or political context often divorced of spatial or locational considerations. In a time of dramatic shifts in the manufacturing sector — from large-scale production to small-scale design, from individual distribution channels to consolidated fulfillment centers, from polluting and consumptive production to clean and circular processes, from a market of low-skilled labor to a specialized high-skilled workforce, and from shifting supply chains due to global health crises — cities will see new investment, increased employment opportunities, and changes in public perception. These changes will also require a shift in our thinking about physical planning and the design and development of industrial areas in cities.
For roughly a century, cities have shifted industrial sites to the peripheries of their metropolitan regions and have erected barriers between places of production and places of residence and lifestyle. Technological advances in manufacturing methods have made it possible to reconsider the relevance of these barriers and to question whether the preferred location of industrial sites is on the periphery. What physical planning and design strategies should cities pursue to support present-day manufacturing? What are state-of-the-art new examples of innovative design? How, and to what extent, have cities progressed towards integrating sustainable manufacturing and industrial production? How can cities advance this agenda in practice? The research team of graduate students at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning attempted to address these questions. It did so through an examination of future possibilities for integrating manufacturing activities with residential and other livelihood uses in the Regio Parco district of Torino, Italy.
Specifically, the project aimed to bring innovative approaches to urban planning where the city of Torino could reintegrate manufacturing through an industrial remix. This place-based strategy draws upon Torino’s strengths in industry, environment, culture, and people. In an effort to develop a full scope of possibilities for industrial areas in Torino, the project explored both the regional context as well as site-specific issues of planning including infrastructure, operational logistics, zoning, community engagement and the integration of ecological systems. The project also developed strategic goals and policy recommendations.
Regio Parco: Site conditions
Regio Parco presents an optimal testbed for a reintroduction of integrated urban manufacturing. Located just north of the city’s heart, the delineated Regio Parco site has an area of 0.6 square kilometers and consists mostly of the decommissioned Torino-Vanchiglia railway yard and sparsely utilized buildings.
Its proximity to the Barriera di Milano area offers links to established residential communities and social spaces. To the south-west of the site is the Torino city center including the significant Porta Palazzo marketplace and cultural hub which draws locals and tourists alike. Nearby open spaces such as Parco Colleta, Cimitero di Torino (cemetery), the River Po, the Dora Riparia, neighborhood pocket parks and green corridors along the rivers are valuable amenities.
With improved transit, the Regio Parco site could strategically be connected to the nearby established residential, commercial, tourism, and university areas.
Framework principles
The overall goal for Regio Parco is to become an experimental site to test projects that will drive Torino’s future. It aims to challenge the existing and nostalgic concept of manufacturing and ultimately to build upon developing innovations. The site should allow for creativity through flexible land uses and mix-use strategies, while promoting engagement with the rest of the city. It should also be a leader in rethinking sustainability and environmental issues.
Therefore, recommendations for Regio Parco are guided by the following five principles
Regio Parco overall vision
