ViaPadova36 represents the development of the Maisondumonde36 project, which was devised and launched in 2011 by Fondazione Cariplo in collaboration with FHS and realized by Fondo Immobiliare di Lombardia (Lombardy Real-Estate Fund). The project also received financing from Regione Lombardia for the construction of 8 dwellings designated for immigrant families (Project AbitAzioni), and of a further 7 dwellings destined to families and vulnerable members of society (Project for housing and social integration). Since 2013, the project has had a partner, Abitare Sociale Metropolitano impresa sociale Srl, in the role of Social Manager for this initiative and also as the owner of some of the dwellings, which were acquired thanks to funding from Fondazione Cariplo. The building is located at the start of via Padova, Milan, in a strategic position for accessibility. In recent years the neighbourhood has experienced a significant urban transformation, becoming a melting-pot of populations that have made via Padova one of the most multi-ethnic streets in the city, to some extent pre-empting processes that have subsequently taken place in other neighbourhoods of Milan.

The via Padova 36 building, which was originally the property of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, is a typical historic residential building from the start of the 20th Century which includes commercial activities on the ground floor. It is a five-storey building distributed over four stairwells (A, B, C, D). The apartments overlook the street or the two internal courtyards. The initiative enabled the restoration of the entire building, transforming it into an accessible structure, that is both well-equipped and integrated, paying attention to the building’s historic characteristics and conserving its decorative elements. The renovation project enabled the creation of dwellings of various dimensions (with one, two, three or four rooms, increasing the number of dwellings) and the inclusion of a ‘social residence’. The refurbishment works also took care of the façades, the windows, the attic-spaces, the roof, the heating systems and the installation of a lift for each stairwell. The intervention enabled the building to improve its energy rating, and it was certified energy class B CENED. The refurbishment of the building was carried out in three phases to minimize inconvenience to the residents and to protect their health and safety. The existing tenants were assisted by FHS during the transition phase and in their choice of dwelling, the arrangement of their furniture and during the moving phase.

ViaPadova36 is a place for the promotion of social, commercial and cultural activities that are aimed at residents and is open to the neighbourhood and the city, where diversity is transformed into a strength that facilitates social cohesion. To encourage interaction between the pre-existing inhabitants and the new ones, several of the dwellings are allocated to sensitized families, who have been specially chosen and trained, and who act as the reference, connection and meeting point for both the tenants and residents. The project also promotes a new model of social entrepreneurship through two commercial activities that represent yet another opportunity to promote sociability, integration and culture:

1. SHARE (Second HAnd REuse): the first shop of quality second-hand clothes with a social purpose, promoted by the social cooperative Vesti Solidale (Dress for Solidarity), the proceeds of which will contribute to supporting the initiatives in ViaPadova36 and in other social projects in the city of Milan.
2. BESOCAFFÈ: a bar which will be a point of sale for an innovative fair-trade coffee capsule that is 100% recyclable. This is a socializing space that is open to the public to encourage ethical, supportive and responsible consumption that is testimony to the fact that it is possible to bring together product quality, environmental respect, support for the development of coffee growers on their own territory and job-creation opportunities for those in need inside our own country.

INVESTORS OF THE FONDO IMMOBILIARE DI LOMBARDIA
FUND MANAGEMENT AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
REDO Sgr
TECHINCAL AND SOCIAL ADVISOR
Fondazione Housing Sociale
PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
Regione Lombardia

SOCIAL MANAGER
Abitare Sociale Metropolitano impresa sociale Srl

OTHER ENTITIES INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT
Coop. soc. La Cordata
Coop. soc. Filo d’Arianna
Coop. soc. La Strada
Coop. soc. Farsi Prossimo
Fondazione Mantovani