URBAN BLOOMERS - Blooming in the city: education and co-design to transform the city into a resilient and biodiverse ecosystem

In particular, it showcases a series of citizen science activities carried out at the two secondary schools selected as case studies: the Carducci School in District 1 and the Manzoni School in District 5 of the Municipality of Florence. These are the ‘bioblitzes’, during which students and citizens were asked to observe and catalogue the plants and animals that make up the urban biodiversity of their neighbourhoods.
The footage is accompanied by interviews with Prof. Rosa Romano (from the Department of Architecture), Prof. Nadia Bazihizina (from the Department of Biology) and Dr Alessandro Campanaro (from the Citizen Science Italia Association). The report highlights the importance of protecting urban biodiversity in cities and the ecological, climatic and social benefits provided by the presence of stress-resilient plant species in public spaces, while also helping us understand how the direct involvement of young citizens in scientific activities can raise awareness of issues related to the fight against climate change, thereby helping to build more beautiful, sustainable and safe cities.

It presents, in detail, the co-design activities carried out with students from the two middle schools selected as case studies: the Carducci School in District 1 and the Manzoni School in District 5 of the Municipality of Florence. During the workshops, the students participated in a guided design activity, working alongside professors and researchers to organise data collected during the bioblitzes and identify the most effective strategies for safeguarding urban biodiversity. The activity featured various creative tools developed by UNIFI researchers to guide the analysis and selection of the most suitable stress-resistant plants to promote the regeneration of school playgrounds through specially designed vertical greening systems.
The footage is accompanied by interviews with Prof. Rosa Romano (from the Department of Architecture), Prof. Nadia Bazihizina (from the Department of Biology) and Dr Elisa Mazzoni (from the Department of Architecture). The report highlights the importance of encouraging public participation, including through the organisation of targeted activities and the use of gamification tools that help citizens understand the key steps involved in designing sustainable, accessible and comfortable living environments.

In detail, the video presents experimental activities involving 3D printers, in which students from two Florentine secondary schools took part: the Carducci School in District 1 and the Manzoni School in District 5 of the Municipality of Florence. The footage documents: the functioning of clay 3D printers (used with the support of Stefano Giovacchini of r3direct) and plastic filament 3D printers (used with the support of Luciano Cantini of Kentstrapper); the material extrusion processes; and direct interaction with the students, who, through the component production phase, were able to transform their design ideas into tangible objects. Professor Rosa Romano and Dr Elisa Mazzoni (from the Department of Architecture) remind us that 3D printing can be considered an innovative technology for creating sustainable, bio-inspired solutions that integrate ecological, technological, and aesthetic functions.