The transformation of the public urban environment in Milan – From green corridors to tactical urbanism

Abstract

Since introducing the new urban planning instruments in 2012 – Piano del Governo del Territorio (PGT) – Milan has commenced a new approach to the definition of its urban environment, the services availability, and the redevelopment of the public spaces. The PGT aims to improve citizens’ and city users’ life quality by implementing various tools addressing the contemporary urban agenda’s ecological, mobility, and cultural challenges. In particular, Milan is trying to align with the global metropolitan vision of the 15-minute City concept and to cope with this objective by applying traditional tools (long-term planning process) and smart city strategies (tactical urbanism). In a context of an emerging global ecological and socioeconomic crisis driven by the pandemic and the war, this paper aims to evaluate the PGT ten years after its introduction by interrogating how public spaces have changed in quantitative and qualitative terms and the perspective for 2030 goals introduced by the PGT update in 2020. Green corridors and tactical urbanism plans may be an interpretative key to illustrate elements of success, weakness, and threats for the future development of the metropolitan city.