As part of the European Union’s URBAN II programme, the City of Turin used EU funds to acquire Cascina Roccafranca, a former 17th-century farmhouse, and transform it into a multifunctional neighborhood hub. Owned by the municipality and managed by the Cascina Roccafranca Foundation together with municipal and district representatives, the space is dedicated exclusively to social and cultural purposes. Conceived as an inclusive public asset, Cascina promotes social interaction, civic participation, cultural production and ethical lifestyles, while respecting ethnic, religious, gender and physical diversity.
Its governance is based on an “atypical participating foundation,” a public–private model that brings together institutions and civil society. The Board of Directors includes municipal and district appointees alongside representatives of 45 local associations, working with more than 80 groups, volunteers and a small professional staff. Cascina also acts as an incubator for ideas, hosting participatory planning processes, self-organized civic spaces and community projects, while its social economy model is sustained through a restaurant, cafeteria, philanthropic funding and public support.
