What attracts us to Cesena? What do we mean by social cohesion in the area covered by the KAIRÓS model? These are the questions that the Municipality of Cesena dealt with during the two meetings of the URBACT Local Groups (ULG) on attractiveness and social cohesion which took place on 28 September and 19 October 2021.
An article by Elena Giovannini, Comune di Cesena
The aim of the two meetings was to weave a unique narrative of the city by discussing together the specific vision of the station area, on which the activities within the KAIRÓS network focus. This part of the city is characterised by urban voids, degraded spaces, but it also comprehends schools, commercial activities and places of passage and connection with the city centre. In particular, the theme of attractiveness represents one of the five pillars of the KAIRÓS strategy and constitutes a fundamental aspect also within the new Urban Plan of the Municipality of Cesena. Attractiveness cannot be dissociated from identity, in a dynamic in which past and future are connected through a red thread that tells the branding of the city. Many thoughts emerged on the perception of these spaces, on commuting, on the need for places of multicultural aggregation with reference to different types of social groups. Each member of the ULG group tried to observe the place giving importance also to the time factor: who and how are places used at a different time of the day and week. This was important because it describes the ambivalence that the same space can have and it is essential to keep the complexity of the area in its entirety as an added value.
With regard to the theme of social cohesion, the discussion of the ULG group focused on space and social relations as matrices for building equitable places, which can offer everyone the possibility of establishing a link of belonging with the territory: an urban space understood as a theatre of accessibility and inclusion.
Several proposals for actions to be included in the IAP (Integrated Action Plan) were put forward by the KAIRÓS stakeholder group. Reasoning together on the themes of urban policies, on the actors who implement them and who are also part of the ULG group, is leading to a common vision of the Integrated Action Plan to be implemented: together is better.
The proposals made by the ULG concerned all the five pillars of the KAIRÓS model. For example, actions have been suggested to create rest and refreshment areas for students and commuters; other advanced actions are oriented towards counteracting the degradation that a disused building can cause, or they addressed the issue of sustainable mobility. All proposals underline the sensitivity and competence of the group members and represent an asset for the IAP.
It was agreed that the main theme of the station area of Cesena represents a visiting card of the city and the objective is to create an expectation of a city that wants to be discovered from the first moment of entry. Through the KAIRÓS model it will be attempted to achieve this objective, to make the station area a new gateway to the city of Cesena!
