Milan - the struggle against climate change for sustainable streets

The city of Milan is facing pressure to adapt to climate change

Future Cities Forum will be discussing the important topic of how to create sustainable districts at its event this September in Milan. The forum debate will be held at the Milan headquarters of Generali Real Estate in the new CityLife district which was constructed on the former Fiera Milano exhibition halls site.

Milan has suffered the effects of climate change along with other cities all over the world. Ideas to create more sustainable streets and squares and produce greener transport have been acted on, for a more inclusive and healthy city.

In this article we look at the thinking behind these innovations and ask whether ideas reach back to the psychology of one of its most famous designers, Enzo Mari?

Chief Resilience Officer in Milan and Director of the National Innovation Hub for Public Buildings, Piero Pelizzaro, speaks of the City of Milan undergoing a 'profound renewal, concerned with climate change and social equity'. In 2021 he wrote the article 'Milan at MCR 2030: Transforming Streets with Tactical Urbanism' for the United Nations Global partnership (UNDRR) which is on a mission to strengthen local resilience.

He writes:

'Milan is experiencing a period of profound renewal that has demonstrated the great level of adaptation of the city. Nowadays, public administrations face more than ever the so-called ‘wicked problems’, complex and articulated challenges among which climate change stands out. In the last 50 years, mean annual temperatures in Milan increased by 2°C, and heavy rains became more and more frequent, causing overflow and flooding phenomena. At the same time, this trend results in less severe winters and an increase in the average duration of heat waves.

'Dealing with climate risks in Milan means protecting the city from the social, economic and environmental perspective: in a city where population density is close to 7,700 inhabitants/km2, adapting and responding to the impacts of climate change is not just an environmental issue, but a matter of exposure reduction, equity and vulnerability management.

'In recent years, the city has moved towards a cross-sectoral ecological transition to become a greener, more resilient and liveable city, supported by the establishment of the Environmental Transition Department in 2019.

Above: part of the Piazze Aperte streets re-design - courtesy Municipality of Milan

'Piazze Aperte features among the existing projects that the Municipality wanted to strengthen. Started in 2018 (with Bloomberg Associates, National Association of City Transportation Official (NACTO) and Global Designing Cities Initiatives), the program aims to bring public squares back to the centre of the neighbourhood's life. Thanks to tactical urbanism, the city succeeded both in involving citizens in the process of urban regeneration and in fast prototyping new urban frameworks by using short-term, cheap and scalable interventions.

'In the action of rethinking public spaces, the Municipality together with ARUP and the Real Play Coalition, have given birth to Play Streets. Play Streets are roads temporarily closed to traffic during certain hours of the day, increasing the supply of play spaces for children and local residents, becoming a safe place to ride a bike, draw with chalk, kick a ball, or just hang out. The Municipality of Milan intends to experiment with the Play Street tool in the vicinity of schools, to allow children to enjoy additional spaces to play and have fun after school hours.'

First Play Street, courtesy of Municipality of Milan

How far can the psychology around the new environmental approach in the City of Milan, reach back to the ideas of post second world war designer Enzo Mari? The Design Museum, London, is currently staging a retrospective exhibition of this significant designer - the exhibition being first produced and presented by Triennale Milano in 2020.

Of significance was Enzo's interest in 'play' and producing toys for children that stimulate the imagination. He is famously quoted as saying that if he was a Nobel judge, he would have given a prize to every two-year old - such was his belief in the speed of curiosity and problem-solving in the minds of children.

Mari was not content to design toys, books and furniture for the home but also focussed on furniture for streets that would produce a better physical environment for all.

Enzo Mari believed in the power of children's imaginations to problem solve, designing toys and games for creative play

The Design Museum describes Mari as an artist, teacher, theorist, and more:

'During his prolific career, he created countless enduring and timeless designs, filling the homes and streets of the Milanese and beyond. An outspoken critic of the design industry, his uncompromising belief in the social responsibility of design resonates powerfully today, as we face ecological and ethical issues with ever greater urgency.'

The exhibition brings together hundreds of his projects, ranging from furniture, children’s books and games, product and graphic design, to more conceptual installation-based works. Archival material provides greater insight into Mari’s research process, and the key principles that guided and unified his work.

Alongside this exhibition, the museum is showcasing a related free display featuring a number of commissioned tributes from contemporary London based designers in celebration of Mari's extraordinary life and legacy, on display at the first floor's balcony.

'Lo Zoo di Enzo, Nanda Vigo, 2020. Neon installation reinterpreting Mari's '16 animals' and '16 fish' puzzles.

Rachel Hajek, Design Museum Curator, who worked with Hans Ulrich Obrist and Francesca Giacomelli to curate the exhibition for the Design Museum, said:

'Mari's work and ethos remains relevant, taking on greater poignancy today as we face greater ecological, societal, and ethical issues The exhibition begins with a quote from Mari, which reads 'I want to create models for a different society – for a way of producing and living differently'.

'Mari strove not only to design affordable, multifunctional, durable objects for people to use, but also to effect change in our behaviours as consumers, and to design with craftspeople in mind. As a designer, he felt an enormous responsibility to society, and we hope this exhibition inspires visitors to think about the transformative potential of design.

'Mari designed countless objects which became fixtures of Milanese homes, streets, and offices. Many Italians grew up playing with his games for children or reading his children's books. He designed the iconic concrete street bollards dotted across Milan, and collaborated with a number of major manufacturers on lighting systems, chairs, kitchenware and more.'

Above: entrance to the Enzo Mari exhibition at the Design Museum, Kensington High Street, London

While considering the ideas of the past, it is important to look to the challenges that Milan faces in the future. Piero Pelizzaro, appears to echo some of Mari's beliefs when he says that solutions need to be inclusive and innovative:

'The Next Generation EU, and the package of interventions deriving from it as a response to the economic emergency caused by the health crisis, offer valuable opportunities to define the cities of the coming years. Milan has decided to seize this opportunity to strengthen the strategies already adopted in recent years and improve them through more structural and lasting interventions. The goal is to build an inclusive, healthy and innovative Milan.

'By becoming part of Making Cities Resilient 2030, the city of Milan is looking forward to exploring the knowledge and experiences of other cities, as well as exchanging useful practices. Milan is eager to learn more and more about managing the climate crisis and how to prevent climate disasters. In the coming years, cities will be on the frontlines in the fight against climate change. MCR2030 will be an excellent contact point to combine efforts of different urban contexts of all over the world.'

Future Cities Forum is looking forward to welcoming its contributors to a special discussion forum hosted at CityLife in Milan by Generali Real Estate, on designing sustainable city districts.

Make sure to visit the Design Museum's retrospective on Enzo Mari before it closes on 8th September 2024.