”I think the best thing is to have as many people as possible in the space. Get people involved and make things their, so to really make it a collective space, before you do anything else there.”
- Ammendola Jacopo
Scratching The Surface
Laura Kalser Tom Sälzer Marieke Kathrin Schaefer David Vincent Schwarzfeld
Student
Laura Kalser Tom Sälzer Marieke Kathrin Schaefer David Vincent Schwarzfeld Academic staff
Teresa Palmieri Jacopo Ammendola Sonia Cabral Matos Mustapha El Moussaoui Course
Bolzano Open City Laboratory Program
MA Eco-Social Design Semester
2025/26 WS Studio Aprire redesigns urban spaces of possibility. Sealed, underused or forgotten places are transformed into vibrant, green spaces that strengthen the community, promote biodiversity and improve the local climate. Studio Aprire translates scientific findings into concrete, tangible practice.
The goals of the project:
→ actively improve the local climate
→ enhance health and quality of life
→ strengthen democratic processes
→ anchor knowledge about climate adaptation locally
→ create opportunities for exchange and events
What exactly the place needs is determined by democratic design and local needs. Studio Aprire does not see itself as a traditional planning office, but rather as a facilitator of participatory processes.
Through interviews with key local stakeholders and public events to incorporate citizens with their local knowledge, we offer an interface between dialogue, design and action. Mapping potential sites and a practical pilot intervention support future projects and inspire broader urban change.
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A project made in the course
Bolzano Open City Laboratory
“The question of what kind of city we want cannot be divorced from the question of what kind of people we want to be, what kind of social relations we seek, what relations to nature we cherish, what style of life we desire, what aesthetic values we hold” (Harvey, 2012). Staring from these considerations, the course took the form of an “Open City Laboratory”. In the first phase of the course, we listened to and oriented ourselves towards what Bolzano has to offer and what it might need. Critically reflecting on our encounters with the city and its actors, we detected possible spaces for intervention and developed situated proposals for eco-social transformations in Bolzano.
More projects by David Vincent Schwarzfeld, Laura Kalser, Marieke Kathrin Schaefer, Tom Sälzer
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