Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Piazza Sicilia, viale Molise and via Toce are more liveable and safe areas in the neighborhoods

Milan, September 27 2020 – New tactical urban planning interventions to improve the quality of spaces, liveability and safety in neighbourhoods, in particular in areas of strong residential interest and in areas facing schools, places reported by citizens and municipalities because they are of collective interest. Among the most recent and ongoing interventions are those in Piazza Sicilia, Viale Molise and Via Toce for which the Council has decided to delimit new experimental pedestrian areas and construction work will begin tomorrow.

“An increasingly liveable city, with safe streets, new areas of collective interest in the neighborhoods especially in the presence of buildings such as schools - declare the councilors for Mobility Marco Granelli and for Urban Planning Pierfrancesco Maran - these are the criteria we adopt to embroider in throughout the city there are "Open Squares", places where pedestrians and light mobility are closely connected to neighborhood life. The project is working and this is demonstrated by the response and great collaboration of the schools who ask us to intervene to slow down the speed of vehicles or even create new pedestrian areas".

The areas with regulated traffic and pedestrians in front of schools are the first examples of "School zones", one of the innovations introduced by the reform of the road code approved by Parliament and which the administration is implementing, a way to improve road safety and quality environment in front of schools.

Sicily Square 
The intervention begins in front of the school entrance in Piazza Sicilia where a new pedestrian area of ​​approximately one thousand square meters will be created which will then be equipped with ping pong and picnic tables, benches, bicycle racks and potted trees. In via Sacco the sidewalk on the school side will be widened along the entire building. The intersection between via Sacco and via Seprio will be made safe, the length of the pedestrian crossings will be shortened to make them easier and the pedestrian space available to parents at the school entrance will be increased.  
The entire intervention will not reduce parking spaces, indeed parking will be reorganized to protect trees and dissuade the possibility of leaving the car illegally. Connected to these works is the creation of a cycle itinerary in via Sardegna created via two one-way cycle lanes connected to the Bisceglie-Castello itinerary.
The Piazza Sicilia project will be carried out in collaboration with the Novaro Ferrucci Parents' Association, the Monteverdi Parents' Association, the Spazio Des Balance Sports Association, the Teatro Quattro Association, the Walter Vinci Onlus Association, residents in the area, Veolia, Muba, Music Think Tank and Istituto Comprensivo Umberto Eco. 

Molise Avenue
The intervention on viale Molise concerns the part of the main road adjacent to the 'Tommaso Grossi' comprehensive school and via Monte Velino (between viale Molise and via Maspero). A new pedestrian area of ​​approximately 600 mXNUMX will be created, available to children at the entrance and exit of the school. The space will be equipped with potted trees, benches, racks and ping pong tables. A protected cycle lane will be created on via Monte Velino in the opposite direction to the direction of traffic.
The project will be carried out in collaboration with Cooperativa Sociale Comunità Progetto, Istituto Comprensivo Tommaso Grossi, Fondazione Snam, Associazione Ingrossiamoci, Associazione Luisa Berardi.

Via Toce
Also tomorrow, work will begin on the coloring of the pavement of via Toce, completing the intervention which has already seen the pedestrianization of the stretch between via Cusio and the small park named after Bruno Munari and the installation of benches, picnic tables and table tennis. 
The cycle route designed in via Alserio with a contra-flow cycle path protected by parking will soon be added to the project. Through the project promoted by the Municipality, the Isola Committee and the Repubblica del Desing in collaboration with Ghigos, IDES Bit Factory and Comieco, an urban painting will be created on the theme of the value of play as an educational and aggregation tool. The asphalt will become an illustrated book, the street lamps play islands and the sky a nursery rhyme. A packed program of workshops coordinated by the Isola Committee and Repubblica del Design will accompany the intervention, allowing the children to become an integral part of the story. The inauguration is scheduled for October 4th. 

Meanwhile, today the color has arrived in two other "open squares" of the city: as part of the "VerdeMilano" program, Largo Balestra and Piazza Ferrara are inaugurated, where, after the arrival in recent days of benches, planters, ping pong the paint arrived thanks to the "Collaboration Agreements" promoted by the councilor for Participation Lorenzo Lipparini. 

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