1) Listen to the place
Read the existential space: needs, identity, everyday practices, actors and data.
PolisMaker method
Workshops on real cases
The core of the learning experience: where the PolisMaker method becomes practice on real cases, in dialogue with places and the people who live them.
Useful links
Real cases, repeatable method
A PolisMaker workshop is not a simple exercise: it is a guided process on a real case. You always start from the place and its people—listening, observation, data, constraints and opportunities. Then, in teams together with stakeholders, you build alternatives and evaluate choices through an interdisciplinary lens (urban planning, economics, law, human sciences, design, communication), up to a clear restitution for those who govern or live the place.
From the regeneration of small towns to complex tourism cities, from historic villages, inner areas and mountain communities to international contexts: each workshop changes theme, but keeps the same method.
In the in-presence track, workshops and project works form a dedicated block of at least 120 hours, in addition to lectures: the moment when the approach becomes internalised—because you learn by doing.
Why workshops are the core of the programme
Because this is where knowledge connects—and becomes actionable decisions.
2) Build alternatives
Connect disciplines and shape coherent, realistic scenarios—discussed as a team.
3) Evaluate & deliver
Compare impacts and trade-offs, clarify choices and produce outputs ready for stakeholders.
How a PolisMaker workshop works
Each workshop follows a repeatable process: reading the territory, listening to stakeholders, interdisciplinary synthesis and production of verifiable outputs.
1) Reading the territory
Data, maps, indicators, site visits and “genius loci”: understand before proposing.
2) Stakeholders and community
Interviews, meetings, public sessions or remote work: the city also through citizens’ eyes.
3) Interdisciplinary synthesis
Planning, human sciences, economics, law, communication: one shared table.
4) Useful outputs
Guidelines, constraints/opportunities, scenarios, concept masterplans, territorial atlases and prototypes.
Featured workshops
A selection of case studies showcasing geographic range, methods and outputs.
EU
Non-EU
2025 · El Salvador — Surf City 2
Non-EU
On-site
BSF2 Workshop Program Blueprint
Multi-scale territorial planning + development prototypes
- Intervention principles: what to do, what can be done, what should not be done.
- Prototype clusters to grow with identity and sustainability.
- Deliverables: territorial structure, guidelines & constraints, concept masterplans, territorial atlas.
2018 · City of Como (IT)
EU
On-site
New forms of tourist accommodation: opportunities and implications for sustainability and Quality of Living
Urban research & Big Data analysis
- Focus on new accommodation models (Airbnb, B&B, condhotel, “albergo diffuso”) and their impacts on local identity (Genius Loci).
- Results presented at a conference co-organised with the City of Como (Tourism Department) on 29 June 2018, at the Civic Art Gallery.
- PolisMaker approach: holistic reading and dialogue across disciplines and stakeholders.
2020 · Sondrio
EU
Online
Community in motion
Pandemic-era workshop: new imaginaries and public space
- Guidelines on urban quality of life.
- Public-space strategy with both concrete and visionary proposals.
- Participatory processes rethought within a “virtual space”.
What workshops deliver
Deliverables change depending on the context, but the logic is constant: make complexity readable and guide decisions and projects.
Territorial atlas
A synthetic picture: resources, issues, identity, networks, constraints and opportunities.
Guidelines and criteria
Intervention principles and choice criteria (what to do / what not to do).
Scenarios and concept masterplans
Comparable strategic alternatives, with priorities and phasing.
Prototypes / clusters
Replicable examples of development aligned with identity and sustainability.
Other workshops and milestones
Some cases and contexts addressed over the years (expandable with dedicated pages).
| Year | Place | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Carnago | A new square for Carnago |
| 2007 | Locarno (CH) | A strategy for Locarno. The city as a complex system |
| 2015 | Finalborgo | Redesigning the urban landscape |
| 2016 | Altavilla Irpina | A town for being together |
Want to host a workshop?
We co-design workshops with public bodies, companies and associations on real cases, producing useful and verifiable outputs.
PolisMaker Masters
Organizational coordination
PolisMaker for quality of living and sustainable urban development.
For admissions, financial aid and study plan, write to: polismaker@polimi.it
FAQ
How long is a workshop?
How long is a workshop?
The duration of each workshop varies depending on the case study and stakeholder availability. In the in-presence track, workshops and project works form a dedicated block of at least 120 hours overall (in addition to lectures).
Are workshops on-site or online?
Are workshops on-site or online?
They are primarily designed for in-presence delivery, but can also be organised online or in hybrid format depending on context and logistics.
What deliverables do you get?
What deliverables do you get?
Typically: territorial atlas, guidelines, scenarios, concept masterplans and prototypes.
How can I propose a case study?
How can I propose a case study?
Write to us: we will evaluate objectives, scale, available data and stakeholders.
