Networks of Care

Collaborative encounters in/around the Bovisa campus.

Ezio Manzini and Liat Rogel, with Susanna De Besi                             

ABSTRACT  -   DRAFT

Background.Cites are experiencing a growing social crisis: lack of social cohesion; insufficient public services; decreasing support by traditional social forms (as families and neighbours); growing sense of loneliness. The gap between the growing demand and the shrinking offer of care is the basis of the present care crisis. To overcome this crisis a brand new care systems has to be imagined and enhanced.

Vision.It is possible to imagine a socio-technical ecosystem capable to sustain and coordinate people’s caring and collaborating capabilities and doing so, creating new forms of care-related communities: a network of people willing and capable to support and help each other.

This workshop. Considering together the Bovisa residents and the Campus students, the workshop outlines a network of care (with the scenario of possible related care encounters) andits enabling ecosystem (that is the digital and physical artefact thanks to which residents and students can connect, start and coordinate their encounters).

Outputs: A prototype of the network of care and its enabling ecosystem, composed of two main elements:

Scenario:  visions on possible encounters, proposed as conversation and action triggers in a community building process. Each one of them is presented by a video and a technical profile of its specific enabling system).
Enabling eco-system: a digital platform and other physical elements (such as touch points, places and communication artefacts) which make different care encounters possible.