Sergio Urbani, General Director of Fondazione Cariplo, tells us about the tentacular work of the philanthropic organisation, which for more than 30 years has been promoting community life, supporting those entities operating in the area that are closest to people's needs. Let us begin the conversation on the type of actions that Cariplo supports and promotes in the field of urban regeneration: these are multi-level interventions that, in addition to improving the conditions of space, aim to generate a sense of belonging to places. "Fixing walls, roads and infrastructure is not enough, however. We need to work on strengthening the bonds between people, in a very often multicultural context. This is Fondazione Cariplo's most ambitious goal. It applies to young people, who are increasingly isolated at home, as well as to the elderly. For us, therefore, urban regeneration is a balanced mix of interventions. With the programme La Città Intorno, in Milan, for example, we have committed ourselves by focusing on culture as a force for regeneration," Urbani tells us. "Even organising a cinema programme in the open air, in a square or the courtyard of an apartment block can activate new relationships in those places. We try to take it where it doesn't usually go, to bring new audiences, to help people reflect and activate them with respect to projects and paths that strengthen the community and its identity."

Cultural projects can, therefore, be actions that bring men, women, children, the elderly, Italians, foreigners, the more or less well-off closer together. "Culture has a positive effect on everyone.But while some have an established and autonomous relationship with it, the vast majority of people do not read books, do not go to the theatre, do not enter a museum.It is to them that we must look, starting with the youngest and focusing on the areas where there are fewer opportunities.This is why, together with the Italian Publishers' Association, we have launched a major initiative to bring children closer to books as early as kindergarten.Various scientific studies have in fact shown that inequalities arise already in the first years of life, when the potential for learning is enormous, and therefore that age is a fundamental and very precious phase for working on future generations."

Territorial pact, community activation, recomposition of interventions and resources, promotion and weaving of links. This is the path indicated for the foundation's initiatives, among which we find the QuBì programme. It is interesting to note that for each plan or strategy there are 'transversal ingredients': assistance, co-planning, analysis, information, thematic working groups. "It is necessary to move in a synergic way, stimulating the formation of networks within the community, and to work on emergencies, which cannot be neglected, but also on long-term actions, to intervene on the causes that cause emergencies. We launched the QuBì programme to combat food poverty, especially for minors; but we realised that while we need to provide answers to basic needs, to give food to those who do not have enough, we also need to create the conditions for families to take a step forward,' Urbani explains.

"Thanks to the networks in the neighbourhoods, we provide support, for example, in parents' job search; on the educational level, we help 8,000 children in difficulty with after-school activities, to prevent the risk of dropping out of school, with even worse consequences. Educational poverty has very serious effects on the future of people and the city as a whole. To do this, we support more than 500 organisations spread across the city, in close cooperation with the City of Milan and other partners, such as companies or sponsors. We try to act on several levers with coordinated programmes. Fondazione Cariplo perhaps has a special feature: we are in a position to talk to everyone, public institutions, companies and the third sector to try to bring together the forces that are already there.  Sometimes this is what is needed. To be enzyme. This is our role."

The Director General of Fondazione Cariplo is the pioneer of Social Housing in Italy, with numerous projects, programmes and collaborations developed over the last 20 years and more. "We have invested a great deal in this field, in terms of economic resources and the study of new business models that would allow the construction of beautiful, cosy homes, capable above all of fostering the development of supportive communities, in which people know each other and - if need be - help each other. All this, which is not a secondary factor, we have done by allowing young couples, students, the elderly, and single-income families to have access to housing at a reduced rent, in a balance that brings wellbeing to all and guarantees services. Today that model is somewhat in trouble, due to increases in real estate costs and the limited availability of low-cost areas.  It has therefore become particularly difficult to build affordable housing, but we are not losing heart. The issue is too important to stop in the face of difficulties, and we are adapting our approach, broadening the scope of investment to include free housing, while still aiming to maximise the social aspects of housing initiatives."