“Da Grigio A Verde” is a bold campaign promoting the green transformation of Bolzano’s Piani district, one of Italy’s hottest cities—a story of brave people fighting for a better future.
Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?
This project is a social and media campaign that fights for the implementation of a greening project in the Piani district in Bolzano, one of the hottest Italian cities, where only 1% of the total area is covered by public green spaces. Co-created with the association Ambiente e Salute, residents, students, professors, activists, and politicians. Together we fight for:
1. Creating green infrastructure.
2. Developing a water management and irrigation system.
3. Enhancing biodiversity.
4. Improving sports fields and playgrounds.
5. Upgrading accessibility, mobility, and safety.
My campaign promotes the project among local residents and focuses on showcasing its creators—residents concerned about the future. Even though the project was approved by the city council and we have secured 350,000 euros for its implementation, the municipality is delaying it and attempting to change its key objectives. That is why the project needs strong public recognition.
Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).
To make the campaign stand out, I used a bold fluorescent green and a brave visual style that immediately caught attention. Data visualizations—such as a project flag and graphs highlighting supporters and its long history—made the grassroots nature clear and accessible.
Ironic posters and artistic interventions exposed the absurdities of urban life, while an open exhibition at the project site brought the campaign closer to the public. Social media, a press conference, TV interviews, and a local newspaper article helped spread the message across the region.
Thanks to interventions in public space, the first points of the project were already marked and improved inhabitants’ safety. Ultimately, the campaign focused on a positive vision of the future, leaving people with hope and a compelling idea of a better city that truly serves its citizens.
What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?
The campaign is bold, highly visible, and asserts a strong presence in public space. It creatively uses that space by identifying its problems and possibilities for improvement. It employs a variety of techniques—often unconventional for social campaigns—making it fresh and distinctive.
My role was to facilitate collaboration between visionary citizens and a rigid municipal structure, a connection often overlooked in similar initiatives.
The project shows that determination, commitment, and continuous effort can lead to real results. It proves that fighting for what we care about matters—because when we care deeply enough, others will join and support us.
Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?
This project was largely created by young people. The initial vision for transforming the space came from the Ambiente e Salute association, which includes older members; however, thanks to the project’s partnership with the university and over two years of student work, it has reached this stage.
Young people live with growing fear about the future. The climate is changing, and predictions suggest the crisis will be far more severe than we can estimate. Climate anxiety is a daily reality. I know this because I carry it with me—sometimes sinking into gloomy visions of a meaningless future. That is why we must act: start locally, put pressure on authorities, and care for our cities. Young people understand this and are responding actively.
The bold, fluorescent campaign also has a modern, youthful character that appeals to younger audiences.