Gossip consensus algorithms via quantized communication

This paper considers the average consensus problem on a network of digital links, and proposes a set of algorithms based on pairwise ''gossip'' communications and updates. We study the convergence properties of such algorithms with the goal of answering two design questions, arising from the literature: whether the agents should encode their communication by a deterministic or a randomized quantizer, and whether they should use, and how, exact information regarding their own states in the update.Comment: Accepted for publicatio

Partecipatory planning and densification: elements for the renovation of public neighborhood

Designed in 1953 by Arrigo Arrighetti, exponent of the milanese architecture, to accomodate the displaced people of World War II, the complex of Via Barzoni 11, composed by 60 duplex apartments with private garden organized in 6 row buildings, is still owned by the Municipality of Milan. It's an unusual quality, compared to normal urban living, for which in 2008 had been expected the whole demolition, never implemented due to the opposition of the inhabitants

The case of Via Barzoni 11. ‘Tailored’ participatory planning of social housing

The social housing complex located in Via Barzoni 11, Milan, was singled out in 2009 for a demolition and rebuilding plan, featuring a volume growth, strongly opposed by the inhabitants. Between April and June 2012 ALER1 Milano, with the involvement of Comune di Milano – Direzione Casa2, commissioned a working group supervised by Anna Delera, Politecnico di Milano, to devise an alternative plan aiming at preserving the social and typological characteristics of the complex, in order to enforce the sustainability and the direct involvement of the inhabitants in a process of participatory planning

Experiential tourism. Research, experimentation and innovation.

The aim of the experience developed within Alta Scuola Politecnica, in collaboration with the world of industry, was to simultaneously implement research and teaching, through experimentation and prototyping to identify new solutions and answers to the real problems of tourism and its most recent evolution into ‘experiential tourism’. A description of the experience and an assessment of the results achieved (in terms of research, production and academic education – highlighting the potential of a multiscale approach to the management of complexity – is part of the debate on the role of Universities in training and research and on synergies with industry, seeking to provide answers to the following questions: How can the quality of higher education and research activities in Universities be guaranteed, while working towards their practical application? How can we promote the ability to make the most of the meeting between supply and demand for innovative knowledge and technologies

Distributed averaging on digital erasure networks

International audience; Iterative distributed algorithms are studied for computing arithmetic averages over networks of agents connected through memoryless broadcast erasure channels. These algorithms do not require the agents to have any knowledge about the global network structure or size. Almost sure convergence to state agreement is proved, and the communication and computational complexities of the algorithms are analyzed. Both the number of transmissions and the number of computations performed by each agent of the network are shown to grow not faster than poly-logarithmically in the desired precision. The impact of the graph topology on the algorithms' performance is analyzed as well. Moreover, it is shown how, in the presence of noiseless communication feedback, one can modify the algorithms, significantly improving their performance versus complexity trade-off

UNPark, Milan. A social innovation experiment beneath the Serra Monte Ceneri Flyover

Urban infrastructure in high-density metropolitan contexts constitutes an experimental frontier for improving the citizens' quality of life and also represents a still undervalued resource in producing economic, energy, environmental and social value. Infrastructure such as the Serra Monte Ceneri Flyover in Milan, a source of distress and degradation associable with the idea of "wasted architecture", can only be transformed into resource through a process of enhancement and a circular, multi-layer and multi-functional design vision. UNPark research is configured as an urban innovation hub by which to trigger reflection on the transition potential towards infrastructure multifunctionality

UNPARK. The second life of an infrastructure in a high-density urban environment

The UNPark research project moves within the boundaries of urban mining, applying the idea of ‘wasted architecture’ to be salvaged and repurposed for urban infrastructures, thus ‘reclaiming public space’ where it was not previously possible. The underlying assumption is that there is latent potential hidden in infrastructures, waiting to be discovered and developed through upcycling operations which add new and creative uses to their original functions – uses that are closer to citizens’ actual needs and capable of having a positive impact on urban dynamics. The sphere of action for UNPark is the Serra-Monte Ceneri flyover in Milan; however, the multidisciplinary approach, evidence-based design and final considerations of the project are all transferrable to a range of national and international contexts. With this in mind, the contribution aims to cast light on a topic with a great deal of potential to fuel debate within the discipline as well as our cities