Europan_12. Interweaving Cultures

European cities are facing a great opportunity to reinvent themselves, challenging the dichotomy between historical city centres and their peripheries. Milan is based on a concentric model with its main focus on activities in the city centre, considering the periphery as a mere dormitory area. The competition site is an area on the outskirts of Milan that could work within the intended urban polycentric model. The creation of a series of sub-centralities that are well served by a local transportation system should work to redistribute functions, creating an opportunity to relieve congestion and functional overload from the city centre. Thus, new economic activities in the sub-centralities should be implemented in order to improve the quality of living conditions and social integration in a formerly excluded zone.
The Studio started the design project by investigating the border of the city. This was done to consider the opportunities that could flourish from a place where a new concept of modernity could be envisioned. We designed a north-south pedestrian infrastructure, from which a variety of spaces are experienced. The buildings are mainly located on the north side of the site, close to the existing built environment. Thus the density is progressively reduced toward the countryside through the use of a different housing typology and other low-rise buildings related to common activities.