Few buildings in Italy have been as mythologised or misunderstood as the Vele of Scampia. Today, the Municipality of Naples is reshaping the site’s future. With funding from Next Generation EU – PNRR, it is demolishing the buildings to create a human-scaled neighbourhood. More than 2,000 former residents, once calling the Vele home, now form a metropolitan-scale diaspora, awaiting relocation while holding onto a sense of homecoming. As part of this transformation, the Vela Celeste will remain, not as a relic of the past but as a civic space shaped by collective imagination. The Urban Planning Office of Naples is pioneering an innovative participatory approach, integrating AI into the visioning process. Rather than traditional consultations, residents will translate their memories and aspirations into AI-generated images, actively shaping the Vela Celeste’s future.
Ongoing project developed by CRA – CARLO RATTI ASSOCIATI
GAETANO MANFREDI and LAURA LIETO
Team
CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati: Carlo Ratti, Francesco Strocchio (partner in charge), Giulia Tolu, Davide Scaglia, Gary Di Silvio, Pasquale Milieri, Gianluca Zimbardi, Luca Bussolino, Camilla Nicolini; Comune Di Napoli: Gaetano Manfredi (Sindaco/ Mayor); Laura Lieto (Vicesindaco/Deputy Mayor); Maria Grazia Falciatore (Capo di Gabinetto del Sindaco/Chief of the Mayor’s Cabinet); Vincenzo Brandi (Responsabile Unico del Procedimento del Progetto Vele/Vele Project Executive Official); Fabio Landolfo (Staff del Vicesindaco/Chief of Staff of The Deputy Mayor)
Technical Collaborators
Davide Scognamiglio (Portraits, Cinematography and Video Direction); Adriana Follieri (Artistic Collaboration); Sebastiano Cautiero (Technical Collaboration); Elio Di Pace (First Camera Operator and Editing); Gianluigi Signoriello (Second Camera Operator); Francesco Troise (Sound Technician); Giacomo Vitiello (Second Sound Technician); Manovalanza (Technical and Artistic Coordination); Studio FM Milano (Graphic Design); CRA Make (Model fabrication, installation, and assembly)
Thanks
TAN Teatro Area Nord of Naples; the community of the Vele di Scampia - Comitato Vele and all the individuals involved who participated in the participatory process through AI
