Safely Connected: Sustainable Common Accessibility of Lively Downtowns for Healthy People

Stefano Capolongo (Principal investigator)

By involving public administration, researchers and local craftsmen and shopkeepers, Safely Connected dealt with scenarios for the the relaunch of local economy and urban life in a post-Covid scenario. The solution, developed and tested in the city-centre of Saint Germain-en-Laye, can be easily scaled-up and replicated in similar localities. The project involved rethinking, adapting, innovating, and designing collaboratively to improve the public space use value, by giving the pilot area (city-centre converted into a large open-air urban market) a stronger central role. Vector of sociability, it fosters a sense of community, solidarity, and caution in terms of health. This is achieved by pooling services; optimising timetables; relying on intelligent management of parking and deliveries; launching a series of online sales, geolocation, and promotion services – used free of charge in the demo phase – and by articulating the well-being of inhabitants, architectural heritage, economic prosperity.

Contribution to SDGs: 3, 11