INTERFACE Project
Digital and participatory ecological transition for mountain communities
Sectors
Digital and sustainable mountain
Scientific Leader
Silvana Dalmazzone, Università di Torino
Themes
The INTERFACE project aims to offer a structured research and action plan for the regeneration and repopulation of mountain territories through models sensitive to the ecological context and capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions. At the heart of the project is a participatory approach that nurtures the capacity of citizens and organisations to play an active role in spreading innovation, including digital technologies, in local mountain communities.
Objectives
The main objective of the project is to investigate, design and test innovative models for the management of public services and businesses, together with regeneration actions for the mountain environment in order to reverse the trend towards depopulation. This task will require synchronous investment in social and territorial innovation, relying on the use of instruments based on cooperation and inclusion on the one hand, and on the reactivation of region-specific production chains on the other.
The core of the applied research of this project is the use of digital tools to connect isolated territories, explore innovative ways to meet the demand for services (transport, health, entertainment, education) by local communities and revitalize socio-economic activities, thus laying the foundations for a transition to a society of smart Alpine villages.
Expected Results
- Database of economic activities, the offer of services for residents and tourists and the natural, cultural and historical heritage of the valleys subject to intervention.-
- Web platforms and prototype processes for digitization and labeling of documents describing natural, cultural and economic landscapes.
- Solutions that promote the enhancement of natural and cultural routes, the incubation of digital marketing companies, a digitized system of adaptive and flexible mobility in remote areas.
- Online training courses and LAB-Camps.
- Experimentation of innovative forms of co-working and business in mountain areas.
- Proposals for social and entertainment infrastructure.
- Exploratory analysis on the feasibility of creating energy communities with renewable sources.
- Design and development of new components for innovative and energy-efficient building strategies.
- Toolkits consisting of guidelines, contract templates, legal suggestions and best practices for citizen participation in co-management.
- Reports and publications.
Impact on the territory
We expect that the INTERFACE Project will contribute significantly to research, innovation, technology transfer, revitalization of local economic activities, community involvement and collective well-being in theareas of the ecosystem subject to intervention.
Participants:
Università di Torino:
- Dipartimento di Economia e Statistica
- Dipartimento di Culture, Politiche e Società
- Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza
- Dipartimento di Scienze economico-sociali e matematico-statistiche
- Dipartimento di Informatica
Università della Valle d’Aosta:
- Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Politiche
Fondazione LINKS:
- Centro per l’Osservazione della Terra
- AI, Data & Space
Politecnico di Torino:
- Dipartimento di Architettura e Design
- Dipartimento di Energia “Galileo Ferraris”
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale e della Produzione
Fondazione Montagna Sicura:
- Area Ricerca Ghiacciai, Neve e Valanghe
Università degli Studi della Basilicata