Contemporary City: Descriptions and Projects Commented Walk Studio
Group 03 Bokshi Erëza, Lasagni Ludovica Tuna Jacob, Nalepa Marcin
Brera, Milan (Lanza Metro Station) The commented city walks approach is an interdisciplinary method developed to study urban ambiances. The goal is to describe neighborhoods while walking together with passers-by and so gain their sensory experience. Walking, perceiving and describing are therefore simultaneously required. This approach is based on 3 hypotheses: • “The situationally-rooted nature of perception • Motivity as a condition for the existence of perception • The interlacing of words and perception.” (Thibaud 2013, p. 2) We used this method to investigate and describe the surrounding of the metro-station Lanza in the center of Milan, where we interviewed about 25 people. Place and paths The station Lanza is located in Via Giovanni Lanza, near the Sforzesco Castle in the core area of Milan’s city center. From Lanza people can reach the Brera district, known for arts and design and sights like the Piccolo Teatro, Parco Sempione and the city aquarium. The main paths are Via Tivoli and Via Pontaccio which lead to the East, Foro Buonaparte to the North and the South and Via Giovanni Lanza to the West. *Charts according to 25 interviews
18-35yrs
Aquarium Civico Milano
Never
Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato
Piccolo Teatro Strehler
T
M
B
Children’s Museum M
Lanza Station/ Initial point
B
Bus Stop
T
Tram Stop Important points
Different walking paths of the users
Often
+66yrs
Age
Every day
Street frequency
Negative
Positive
Perception of the space
Casa Museo Lalla Romano
LANZA
B
36-65yrs
Negative points/problems
B
“... it’s a very wide steet, so I think that it’s safer in comparison to smaller streets where maybe we tend to avoid at night.” “... it should be a cycle path because I always see bike on the sidewalk ...” “... a positive aspect would be the presence of green spaces ...” “... maybe it should be more tidy ...” “... as a pedestrian i would like mode areas dedicated to us, sometimes people can’t even cross the road because they an be run over by cars ...” “... a positive element is the presence of the tram.” “... somethig that i dont understand is this cycle path are not connected. There are just some small tratti and they are useless...”
The outcome of these interviews shows different patterns of paths the inhabitants take from the Lanza station to various destinations. Diverse points of destinations and also different points of view of the people frequenting this space vary from the regularity of the use of those streets. It may also vary because of the subjective needs of each user, for instance a biker needs the connection of the cycle paths, an elderly needs good accessibility and safer road from the cars, whereas a student in the Academy of Brera needs for an open space to stay. The result of the analyses according to the interviews is that this station is a pass-by and not a stay-by, because it connects many important points of the city by foot and by public transport but doesn’t invite people to stay. What needs to be improved in that area!? More analysis should be done, but from the points of view of the users the space should be more safe from the cars - so a traffic calming is neccessary, there needs to be a meeting point for the inhabitants and to improve the sidewalks and cycle paths in order to have a stay-by space and not a pass-by.