Mainstreaming nature to co-design urban climate shelters in schoolyards
Duration: from 01/2025 to 06/2027
Scientific Supervisor: Ombretta Caldarice
Project Type: Project funded through a competitive call for proposals
PoliTO Role: Project Coordinator
MAINCODE is a European project under the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership that promotes the transformation of schoolyards into urban climate shelters through nature-based solutions and co-design processes.
As European cities face growing challenges from climate change, particularly heat waves, MAINCODE responds to this urgency by developing cooling strategies that turn schoolyards into safe, welcoming, and accessible spaces for everyone and by contributing to the creation of heat-resilient, healthy, and inclusive cities.
MAINCODE is grounded in the concept of “open schooling”, which envisions schools as open, collaborative, and community-oriented spaces. Within this framework, children, teachers, families, local communities, policymakers, and practitioners work together to reimagine public spaces centred on environmental and social well-being.
Through experiments in Turin (Italy) and Halandri (Greece), MAINCODE demonstrates the potential of these interventions, offering a comprehensive methodology for implementing urban climate shelters and scaling them up across Europe. By transforming schoolyards into climate shelters, MAINCODE aims not only to adapt cities to a warming climate, but also to invest in the educational, social, and cultural future of local communities. Finally, MAINCODE positions urban climate shelters as the “main code” to unlock regenerative urbanism to design cities reconnecting people with nature and strengthening climate adaptation.
Involved Structure
- DIST – Inter-University Department of Spatial Sciences, Planning and Policy
- DISEG – Department of Structural, Civil and Geotechnical Engineering
Partners
- University of Southern Denmark
- UNESCO Chair on Urban Resilience
- Urban Lab Torino
- Commonspace Coop
- City of Turin
- City of Halandri
Location
- School communities in the City of Turin (Italy) and the City of Halandri (Greece)
Project Team
- Ombretta Caldarice (DIST), PA, scientific advisor
- Bruna Pincegher (DIST), PhD, project manager
- Francesca Abastante (DIST), PA
- Benedetta Giudice (DIST), RTD-A
- Francesca Bragaglia (DIST), RTD-A
- Beatrice Mecca (DIST) AdR
- Mariapaola Vozzola (DISEG), RTD-B
- Maurizio Marco Bocconcino (DISEG), PA
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
4. Quality education
11. Sustainable cities and communities