The demographic aging and the evolution of lifestyles require new strategies to promote the well-being and active aging of elderly. Active aging depends on many factors: some of these are related to objective data such as physical environment, others are personal elements; it is important to improve environmental physical factors to encourage personal attitudes to the green spaces in use. To design a small sustainable restorative green space in Milan, Italy, restorative garden design criteria are summarized in the first section of the paper and both social and environmental sustainability are considered. The methodology section describes the co-design process and how it was applied to include different older user groups in the design of the area. In the results section authors apply a taxonomy based on the four properties of restorative settings according to the Attention Restoration Theory by Kaplan (compatibility, being away, extent, fascination): this provides a unified system to classify users’ expectations and to describe the final project. The proposed co-design process combines social and environmental sustainability, as it provides designers an insight about the user’s experience in nature. Such information can be fruitfully integrated with professional competences about comfort aspects and environmental protection in order to improve the whole design project.

The Faro Convention emphasizes the link between cultural heritage and place-related identity, highlighting their role in fostering environmental and community belonging. Urban renewal projects centered around contemporary and street art have gained popularity worldwide but often exhibit unclear impacts on local populations. Few studies have explored this topic using a psychological and longitudinal approach. Addressing this research gap, our study analyzed changes in place attachment and neighborhood image five years after implementing a street-art-based renewal project in a Milan suburb. Moreover, the project’s impact on the neighborhood’s historical “personality” as perceived by residents and citizens (n = 296) was examined. A survey was designed and administered to compare trends in these variables between 2017 (project start) and 2022, applying content analysis and analysis of variance techniques. Results showed that street art inspired by local history and culture had a positive effect on residents’ place attachment and local image, without disrupting community traditions. However, no significant impacts were found among non-residents. These findings highlight the significance of urban renewal policies that prioritize a district’s social and cultural history. Such policies not only safeguard the citizens’ well-being and foster place attachment, but could also revitalize the local imagery, promoting innovation and creativity.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-2), for use with Italian adults, young adults and adolescents. In accordance with the guidelines for test adaptation, the scale has been translated with the method of back translation. The understanding of the item has been checked according to the latest standards on the culturally sensitive translation. The scale thus produced was administered to 843 individuals (of which 60.69% female), between the ages of 15 and 74. The sample is balanced between workers and students. The main activities defined by the subjects allow the sample to be divided into three categories: students, workers, athletes (professionals and semi-professionals). The confirmatory factor analysis, conducted using the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLM), showed acceptable fit indexes. Reliability and validity have been verified, and structural invariance has been verified on 6 categories of Flow experience and for 3 subsamples with different with different fields of action. Correlational analysis shows significant high values between the nine dimensions. Our data confirmed the validity and reliability of the Italian DFS-2 in measuring Flow experiences. The scale is reliable for use with Italian adults, young adults and adolescents. The Italian version of the scale is suitable for the evaluation of the subjective tendency to experience Flow trait characteristic in different contest, as sport, study and work.