The center
The Center of Competence for Anti-Fragile Territories (CRAFT) is an initiative of the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at Politecnico di Milano, focused on the development of methodologies and design approaches to address the increasing fragility of territories and the fragmentation of decision-making arenas.
CRAFT stems from the Excellence Project 2023-2027 funded by the Ministry of University, with the aim of exploring the hypothesis that, to contribute to the resilience of territories and institutions, it is necessary to develop an attitude towards "anti-fragility".
The center focuses on the development of methodologies and design approaches to address uncertainty, complexity, and fragmentation, promoting enabling conditions rather than conditions that "fragilize" territories. Through research, higher education, and design, CRAFT works to investigate conditions and responses to counteract processes of territorial fragility.
CRAFT collaborates with public institutions and territorial actors committed to addressing current challenges (such as economic and social recovery following the pandemic, environmental and energy crises, and geopolitical uncertainty). Through a constant reflection on design approaches, CRAFT explores the skills and tools necessary to support public administrations in managing emerging challenges in the relationship between space and society.
CRAFT welcomes a variety of interested actors, including researchers, professionals, public administrations, and territorial actors, offering an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment to develop skills and imagine innovative solutions for the territories of the future.
CRAFT aims to activate and network different knowledge and actors, eager to work at the intersection of skills and resources. Our goal is to bring out and guide the trajectories of change, thus contributing to the activation of antifragile resources and sustainability in the territories. Climate change, pandemics, international conflicts, and energy crisis pose new questions to the actors and amplify themes already on the agenda, in this context, we develop explorations and innovative project approaches.
The Center is a physical space and a virtual platform, built around an open, experimental, collaborative program of knowledge production and forms of action capable of generating enabling conditions to help territories manage the transition and deal with uncertainty.
As part of the 23-27 excellence project we have chosen to experiment with five emerging themes with their relative hashtags.
The effects of climate change on the resilience of territories, buildings and landscapes.
The territorial challenges connected to the forms of economic organization of the contemporary world.
The dynamics and strategies of sustainable development in marginal territories.
The demand and supply of new forms of urban services and facilities in terms of accessible and sustainable mobility, housing, and welfare.
The role of planning, design, and urban and territorial policies in the reconstruction in contexts affected by crises of natural or anthropic origin, but also in producing enabling factors to face the transition.
CRAFT reports to the Director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies and submits its program of activities to the Department's Scientific Commission.
The activities of the Excellence Project 2023-2027 are designed and animated by the Project Coordinator and the Project Scientific Board.
The Board has the task of developing the Centre's objectives, through selecting and promoting relevant and strategic research/project activities. It is organized into task forces, which have the task of building a work program.