Politecnico di Milano Urban Planning and Policy Design Master A.A. 2018-2019 Contemporary City Course Prof. Laurent Devisme Tutors. Alice Buoli, Matteo Del Fabbro, Mario Paris Students. Verena Frenzen, Yalda Golmakani, Lucia Ludovici, Alessia Pardi
PIAZZALE LORETO AND HIS USERS Who can you meet?
The first reflection is about the means of transport, we told yet that it is a shared area where it’s possible to meet different users; drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The second one is about which kind of people it’s possible to meet, and the answer could fill all the page, because the list could be very long. We talked with many different people: tourists, business men, foreign workers, old women intent on shopping, teenagers just out of school having their lunch in Mc Donald and so on. Their relation with the space changes based on the street, that is why we selected three streets which are well known in Milan; Corso Buenos Aires, known as the shopping street of the city, via Padova and via Monza, known for their ethnic aim.
Viale Monza Via Padova Piazzale Loreto Flow of people coming from Via Padova and Viale Monza directed to Corso Buenos Aires using the underground Flow of people coming from Corso Buenos Aires walking surface Flow of people coming from different direction going to the Metro station
Well, it’s not properly true, but if you have been in Milan you will have seen or heard about this street at least once for two reasons; for the connection between green and red metro or for the presence of the most famous “open air” mall in the city, Corso Buenos Aires. Its practice of use is various at two levels, for the means of transport and for the social cathegories. Its urban shape is like the typical French carrefour where different streets flow. The dimension is very big, so it’s not possible to capture the whole “piazzale” in one time, because its perception changes based on the street where you come from. According to this concept, the routes how this area is crossed are various. People who have to walk on the opposite street once arrived in Piazzale Loreto, at 90% would use the underpass to reach their way, because the central space it’s not been projected for people or for monument as the 19th century carrefours, it’s for cars and trucks, which dominate the soundscape of the Area. It’s safe to say that there are two Piazzale Loreto; a surface one and an underground one. The subway is like a vortex which can absorb and reject people, who sometimes don’t need to exit from the underground square, if they just need to change the metro line.
Corso Buenos Aires
facilities and spaces around Piazzale Loreto
Corso Buenos Aires Viale Monza Via Padova
Corso Buenos Aires
This street is more than 1 km long. Its axis connects Piazzale Loreto with San Babila and then with the Duomo, so this is reason why there are so many tourists and workers. The space for cars is wider than the one for pedestrians, which is the reason why the two sidewalks don’t communicate among each other and it’s possible to switch sidewalk just at the traffic lights. In this street people have three different behaviors; using this street as an axis, walking fast or cycling, shifting from a shop to another one, or enjoying the time sitting outside or inside a bar.
Viale Monza
Viale Monza begins in Piazzale Loreto and runs north through the districts of Turro, Gorla and Precotto. It ends at the border of the city of Sesto San Giovanni. What is outstanding, compared to Via Padova and Corso Buenos Aires, is the green isle with a line of trees in the middle of the street. It is not accessible, but giving the streetscape a visual enhancement. People don’t really interact with each other or enjoy a nice walk, everyone is walking fast to reach a certain destination, for example one of the shops, restaurants or catching a bus. Like in Via Padova, there are a lot of foreign restaurants and shops, but with a higher quality.
Via Padova
Via Padova begins at Piazzale Loreto and leads through Cimiano and Creszenzago leading to the Tangenziale. The street is more narrow than Corso Buenos Aires and thereby less frequented. A lot of foreign restaurants and shops are located here, and also people from other countries that are living and working there. Like in Viale Monza, the users of Via Padova don’t leisure or interact with each other, they are walking fast to get to one of the shops or services. Unlike at Corso Buenos Aires and Viale Monza, bikers use the pedestrian roads for cycling. At night, people don’t use this street if they don’t have to, since they are lacking a feeling of safety.
DIIFFERENT KIND OF PEOPLE As part of the local analysis, people were interviewed that were passing through the area of Piazzale Loreto or walking from Corso Buenos Aires, Via Padova and Viale Monza. The aim was to grasp the behaviour and level of interaction with the urban environment and to find out the wishes of the users in order to be able to propose ways of improvement. Among the respondents were tourists, students, immigrants and pensioners. The following examples were picked to give an insight to the main ideas and reactions of the people.
Tourists
Gender: male and female Age: 27 and 24 Starting point: Via Padova Destination: Loreto metro station Observation: talking with each other, being attentive because of their luggage Their personal perception: Via Padova: not a street to spend time there, not so inviting, mostly just taking the bus to reach other places Piazzale Loreto: a lot of traffic, a bit confusing because it is not easy to pass and orientate if you are here for the first time, loud place
Old local couple
Gender: male and female Age: 79 and 85 Starting point: Corso Buenos Aires Destination: Piazzale Loreto, going downstairs to the metro Observation: walking very slow, paying attention to traffic and cyclists at the roundabout Their personal perception: Corso Buenos Aires: every week going to the Pam supermarket for grocery shopping, always a lot of traffic and people Piazzale Loreto: very loud, fast, chaotic
Business man Gender: male Age: 36
Starting point: Via Padova Destination: a restaurant shop in Via Padova Observation: looking at his phone, not interacting with the urban environment, walking fast His personal perception: a lot of foreign people, a bit dirty, not beautiful to have a walk, but good and cheap restaurants, during the night it is not safe
Woman shopping Gender: female Age: 47
Starting point: Piazza Argentina, Corso Buenos Aires Destination: drugstore in Corso Buenos Aires Observation: getting in a dangerous situation while passing the street between the cars, walking fast Her own perception: likes to walk in this street because of the nice atmosphere and many shops
Foreign workers
Gender: male Age: 42 and 37
Starting point: Via Padova Destination: their home in Via Padova Observation: communicating with each other, walking slowly and interacting with their environment by paying attention to the surrounding happening Their personal perception: A lot of services and shops for all needs, but not a beautiful street, no places to sit down
Student with dog Gender: male Age: 20
Starting point: Piazzale Loreto Destination: his home in Viale Monza Observation: walking fast, not paying attention to the surrounding area, just trying to reach a destination His personal perception: Corso Buenos Aires: just using it to pass, it is not beautiful and difficult to cross Viale Monza: quite calm street, but not enough space for walking, the green in the middle of the street is not accessible
PERCEPTIONS
Here is possible to read some Key Words extrapolated from the interviews which are about people perception of the area.
WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED
A new perspective for Piazzale Loreto The City Council of Milan is making plans to redesign Piazzale Loreto until the year of 2030. There are some interesting projects that all have the same goal in common: to turn the roundabout in a liveable pedestrian area with green spaces and possibilities to spend time there and even providing some pop-up shops. The transformation would give a whole new function and face to this area, which will also improve the surrounding streets like Via Padova and Viale Monza. By creating a direct pedestrian connection, it would draw new visitors and people who come for leisure to those streets and they would benefit from the improvement. According to our analysis, the project which express better these goals is the one proposed by Antonio Critterio & Patrcia Viel.
What can be improved?
Corso Buenos Aires: establishing cycling lanes to grant safety for cyclists and prevent them from cycling on the busy and dangerous street, adding a line of trees to enhance the streetscape
Via Padova: adding green spaces and seating for people to spend time there and create a better atmosphere by adding green spaces including trees, shrubs and flowerbeds
Viale Monza: improve green space in the center of the street by making it accessible for walking