Neighborhoods. With "Open streets" new pedestrian areas, cycle paths, 30 zones and public spaces
The Administration's project for a more sustainable and safe city. Lazzaretto and Isola pilot projects in the neighborhood 15 minutes walk away
Milan, 30 April 2020 - Create new cycle paths even with signage only; increase moderate speed roads and zones 30 and residential streets with predominantly pedestrian and cycle traffic; expand pedestrian paths by widening sidewalks; provide temporary pedestrianization in neighborhoods by expanding the offer for children's play and physical activity; carry out new tactical urban planning interventions as part of the Open Squares project; facilitate the possibility of placing tables for bars and restaurants in parking areas in order to recover part of the capacity lost inside due to distancing.
These are the key actions of "Open Roads", the Municipality's plan to rethink mobility and public space in the coming months. A strategy that sees the vision of a more sustainable and livable city converge, which the Administration has been working on through multiple actions since the beginning of the mandate, with the temporary needs of social distancing and safety linked to the ongoing health emergency. The objective is to create more protected and usable streets for everyone, offering new public spaces for adults and children and encouraging travel on foot, by bicycle and scooter for urban-scale journeys through a diversified, complementary and alternative offer to public transport and private cars.
"Open streets accelerates the process of regeneration of the city that we were already implementing before the Coronavirus, starting from the implementation of projects designed to improve the quality of public space and life in the neighborhoods - declares the councilor for Urban Planning Pierfrancesco Maran - Creating new squares and services in the neighbourhood, encouraging sustainable modes of travel, guaranteeing spaces for children to play are objectives already foreseen in the Territorial Government Plan. The need to change the rhythms of the city in the search for a 'new ordinary' is the lever to speed up the achievement of these objectives, identifying temporary, more economical and efficient solutions".
"We are working to make public transport safe - declares Marco Granelli, Councilor for Mobility - but it is also important to be able to contain the number of cars in circulation and congestion and limit the increase in city air pollution as much as possible. In these For days we have tried to think about our city after the hardest phases of this emergency, taking advantage of what we have learned and with a long-term perspective which however starts from the urgent responses to today's problems. The new times and spaces of the city, a way new to move, the need to immediately resume work and the commitment not to leave anyone behind: the result was an extraordinary plan of new cycle paths and 30" zones.
There are therefore many actions included within Strade Aperte, for which some specific interventions have already been identified and will be implemented by the end of the year. The objective of the next few weeks, also thanks to the contribution of citizens as part of the Milan 2020 participation process, is to increase widespread actions across the territory.
Neighborhoods in 15 minutes, the Lazzaretto and Isola pilot projects
Lazzaretto and Isola will be the pilot projects of a city that rethinks its rhythms starting from neighborhoods that offer services and quality of life within a 15-minute walk from your home. Through interventions of temporary pedestrianization of some streets, widening of sidewalks, establishment of 30 zones, connections with existing cycle paths, installation of dehors, precious public space will be freed up to be dedicated to the outdoor life of adults and children. In particular, at the Lazzaretto via Lecco, Largo Bellintani and Via Benedetto Marcello will be temporarily pedestrianized, creating cycle-pedestrian connections with the future Corso Buenos Aires cycle path, the route along the Bastioni and the signed path of Viale Tunisia. On the island the heart of the intervention will be via Toce, which will be pedestrianized and transformed into a playstreet for children to play in connection with the green areas in front of the school and those of the Bruno Munari garden.
Cycling: San Babila-Sesto Marelli and Bisceglie-Bande Nere-Sardinia-Buonarroti
Cycling should be encouraged as an alternative means to the car and public transport. The tracing of the 35 km of new cycle paths that will progressively arrive in the city in the summer and by the end of the year started yesterday from Corso Venezia. Among the first interventions, in addition to the San Babila - Sesto Marelli itinerary which will be created with signage only, the more structured one from Bisceglie to Buonarroti along the Roman Legions-Bern -Zurich axis which then extends to Caterina da Forlì, Sardinia and Buonarroti. Also starting in the next few weeks are interventions on the service roads, with speed moderation to 30 km/h, along the routes Viale Certosa, Viale Zara - Viale Testi, Viale Romagna - Viale Campagna - Viale Molise, Viale Famagosta - Via Faenza. Other interventions for cycling concern urban redevelopment, for example along the Bussa - Farini - Monumental Cemetery route.
Open squares: from Piazza Sicilia to Piazza Minniti
New pedestrian areas that can be used safely, new quality public spaces for the neighborhood. The "Open Squares" tactical urban planning project, which over the last year and a half has regenerated 15 squares in the city through quick and economical interventions, will land in around ten new locations selected from the 65 proposals presented by citizens and associations. Among the planned interventions , the one in Piazza Sicilia, where greater safety will also be guaranteed when children leave school, and in Piazza Minniti, which will connect with the quadrilateral of Via Toce all'Isola.
30 Zone
To improve the quality of urban space and road safety, new zones will be established where the maximum speed limit is 30 km/h. Among the first interventions, those along the axis via Padova-Nolo and QT8.
Interventions for pedestrian traffic: via Marghera
The strategy that will see the widening of some pavements which will likely see a greater flow of pedestrians starts from Via Marghera. The objective is to guarantee social distancing and safe use of the roads, reducing the carriageways without changes to the road system.
Updated: 11/05/2020