Environmental cha racteristics

Environmental characteristics

The Martesana

We a re sta rting the study of the environmental cha racteristics with a n a nalysis of the Ma rtesa na river, focusing more on the Vimodrone a rea.

The map on the top right represents the pa th of the Ma rtesa na ca nal a nd the surrounding wa ters, which a re some lakes in a nd a round Vimodrone. First we ca n notice tha t the Ma rtesa na ca nal is crossing Vimodrone on the axis West-East, thus dividing Vimodrone into its Northern a nd Southern a rea. The ca nal is non-interrupted in a ny a rea, it is crossa ble through bridges in different zones in the municipality of Vimodrone, in order to connect the Northern a nd Southern pa rts. From the Ma rtesa na flow a certa in number of a ffluents tha t surround the different neighbourhoods in Vimodrone. In wha t concerns the presence of the lakes in the a rea, they a re not numerous or pa rticula rly la rge. However, the most known lake is Cava Gaggiolo, also known as one of the elements composing Mila n’s “Green Lung”.

The map below represents a personal interpreta tion of the presence of the Ma rtesa na a nd its a ffluents. The a ffluents flowing from the Ma rtesa na a re surrounding the diverse neighborhoods a nd crea ting a na tural orga niza tion a nd structure of Vimodrone. This interpreta tive map is showing the va riety in the orga niza tion of Vimodrone structured by the Ma rtesa na a nd its a ffluents. As we ca n notice, the a ffluents of the Ma rtesa na in the Southern pa rt flow along the neighborhoods as if they were crea ting fortresses a nd thus na turally sepa ra ting the neighborhoods one from the other. The neighborhoods in the Southern pa rt of Vimodrone a re very heterogeneous a nd present a multitude of typlogies. On the contra ry, the Northern a rea is more homogeneous in wha t concerns the orga niza tion of the buildings a nd neighborhoods.

According to the main parks, squares and some green spaces, we divided this into nine parts. And the nature of each part is defined, and according to the range of the radiation radius of each land, the accessibility and development potential of each plot can be clearly understood. It can be seen from the observation that the development potential of plots 2, 4, 5, and 6 is greater, and the accessibility of plots 4, 6, and 7 is better. The location at the southeast corner of the base lacks relevant green space service facilities, and the residents of this area have a certain distance from the park green space. Concerning the green space axis analysis, from the relationship between the green space system in the previous picture, we can clearly see the relationship between the green space environment and the built environment. On the whole, there is still a good relationship between penetration and development, meeting the requirements of 15-minute urban development. But you can observe that in the southeast of the base, because of the lack of green space radiation, there is a lack of relevant penetration . In conclusion, consideration should be given to appropriately adding some green space facilities in the southeast corner, so that each area is within a reasonable green space radiation radius.And increase the accessibility of some green areas, and realize the development mode of linkage in the overall strategy.

Building characteristics: Relation with public space

Within the study a rea we ca n mostly identify the presence of residential fa bric, since it is a n a rea with construction density, in addition we ca n find the presence of several public a nd priva te services as well as recrea tional a reas such as pa rks, ga rdens a nd sport facilities a nd agricultural a reas tha t fra me the presence of the urba n residential fa bric.

The different cha racteristics of the buildings a nd their first floor rela tionship with respect to the public space ca n be determined as follows:

Ba rriers - fences a nd blind walls in some buildings, we ca n find this typology in most of the study a rea, beca use we have a la rge presence of residential buildings tha t a re totally fenced to the outside.

Another of the typologies present in the a rea a re the different commercial premises a nd services tha t a re open to the public space a nd offer a grea ter rela tionship with the street.

As for the a reas totally open to the public space, we find some of them, ma inly in squa res a nd public pa rks tha t present a totally open a rea a nd in some cases equipped with vegeta tion a nd urba n furniture.

In overall, we ca n determine tha t the rela tionship of the first floor of the buildings to the public space is low in terms of the presence of fences or walls without direct connection to the street, limiting the interaction of pedestria ns.

In the second map, a t the bottom of the next page, we have studied the typologies of the buildings present in the study a rea in Vimodrone. We ca n notice a heterogeneity a nd a multitude of building typologies in Vimodrone.

We ca n distinguish between four kinds of typologies present in the a rea, precisely: urba n blocks, groups of housings, rows a nd ribbons a nd solita ires.

According to the map, we ca n observe tha t the urba n blocks a re present mostly in the central a rea of Vimodrone, we ca n recognize them in pa rticula r on the Eastern side of the center of the Municipality. The urba n blocks a re ma inly hosting residential buildings with some commerces on the groundfloor. An exa mple of street with urba n blocks is Via Cesa re Ba ttisti.

In wha t concerns the groups, we ca n notice them more often on the outskirts of Vimodrone, outside the central a rea, respectively in the Northern side a nd the Southern side, isola ted from the central composition of the Municipality, as we ca n see on Via Leona rdo da Vinci.

Furthermore, we ca n observe rows a nd ribbons like on Via Foscolo. They a re present in the central a rea of Vimodrone a mong the urba n blocks, along the seconda ry streets.

In a last insta nce, there a re a certa in number of solita ires, ma inly with commercial voca tion, as we ca n see on Via Trieste for exa mple. We ca n notice several other solita ire buildings also in the center of Vimodrone.

To conclude, we ca n say tha t in wha t concerns the typology of the buildings in Vimodrone, the Municipality is very heterogeneous a nd diverse, without preserving a pa rticula r orga niza tion or one single type. This va riety of buildings is also a proof of constructions with different voca tions (residential, commercial a nd others), which sta tes tha t Vimodrone is equipped on ma ny levels.

Building typologies

On this page, top Building cha racteristics

On this page, bottom Typologies,

own ela bora tions Google Street View

Building characteristics: Conditions and environment

According to the relationship between the internal space of different buildings and the external environment, we divide this part of the situation into four forms for further analysis. The first is that the building space and the external environment are relatively complete, and the layout of the green space has a good spatial penetration relationship with the interior. When arranging other facilities, they can be arranged in accordance with the existing spatial sequence. The second and third types are semi-enclosed architectural spaces. It can be observed that only a small amount of penetration axis forms a connection with the architectural space, and there is a small amount of green infiltration in the interior of the architectural environment. In the design, consideration should be given to adding some open spaces inside the building to realize the overall connection between the interior and the exterior of the space. The last type is a complete block, this architectural space has its own complete internal space. Some roof greening facilities and maintaining the relationship with the overall green space can be considered, and some open greening facilities and supporting facilities can be considered appropriately

The main building height is between 0-12m and 12m-18m. There is this high-rise building in the southern part of the area. Around the main road, the building height by the river is relatively low, which has a good visual access effect.

The quality of the finishing buildings in the area is relatively good, but there are two buildings in the southern and western part of the area that can be of lower quality. It is recommended to consider the use of building functions.

Building heights

Analysis of buildings condition

Building cha racteristics own ela bora tions

Parking space analysis: Study and sections

We ca n directly see from this map tha t there a re lots of pa rking space in Vimodrone. Besides centralized pa rking lots, ma ny streets a re occpuied by pa rking space alongside the street, which mea ns less space for walk a nd stay. It ca n also be recognized tha t there a re no sepa ra te bike la ne in this a rea.

When having a look a t the street view of Vimodrone, we define four kinds of typical sections.

Typical section 1 shows the existence of ma in road(greenbelt in the center make a good functional division) as well as the balcony, which is importa nt especially when most people’s rela tionship with the cities, neighborhoods a nd streets in which they live has been cha nged by the COVID-19 pa ndemic.You may have seen the videos of residents singing on their balconies in Italy a nd the ‘Case a Balla toio’ (Balcony Houses) or ‘Case a Ringhiera’ (Ra iling Houses) has been a very popula r va ria tion on the perimeter block typology in a fforda ble housing projects in Mila n.

Most seconda ry streets in Vimodrone have the form of typical section 2, both for ca r a nd for walk. The best situa tion of this type is to have sidewalk just outside commercial shops on the first floor. Unfortuna tely, we see ma ny streets lack of friendly environment for pedestria ns.

Some wider streets have the space for pa rking along the street. Typical section 3 shows one good exa mple of this kind of street for it has sa fe pedestra in a rea a nd green pa rk on the other side of the street.

The last kind of typical section tells us something a bout the environment alongside the Ma rtesa na. There is sa fe pedestria n a rea a nd cycling environment but there is few place for people to stay. Physical ba rriers make the place lack of interaction a nd vitality.

On this page

Sections pa rking space a nalysis,

own ela bora tions

As for the services found in the study a rea, we ca n identify tha t most of them a re concentra ted in the centre of the a rea, with social facilities such as the elderly rest residence a nd several churches, as well as social services, we ca n find two police sta tions, one to the north a nd one to the south of the a rea. We also have the presence of the community hall within this a rea. In terms of health facilities we ca n identify 2 public clinics a nd a few priva te clinics, as well as pha rmacies tha t serve during the work week.

The different educa tion facilities present a re classified as kinderga rten a nd elementa ry schools, but there is a lack of seconda ry schools or study spaces, or workshops for young people, who currently only have a municipal libra ry tha t does not open on weekends. Finally we have the presence of several sport public facilities tha t have limited opening hours in the mornings a nd a fternoons a nd public squa res a nd ga rdens tha t a re mostly accessible all day. In conclusion, we ca n determine tha t in spite of having the a rea supplied with different services, it is necessa ry to review the va riety of these services a nd the different opening hours, which a re open in the mornings a nd a fternoons a nd in ma ny cases closed on weekends.

Services urba n welfa re,

Portale Open Da ta _Comune di Mila no

The figure introduces the distribution of public infrastructure in certa in a reas a nd summa rizes the adva ntages a nd disadva ntages of some public facilities. Bright yellow mea ns there a re some public facilities, a nd da rk yellow mea ns some a re inadequa te. According to different a ttributes, the space facilities a re divided into squa res, sidewalks, pa rks, green spaces, bicycle la nes, etc., a nd these facilities a re a nalyzed in deta il below.

Playground

There a re two or three playground spaces, but the na ture of the activity is rela tively single. The opening hours of sports venues a re restricted, a nd residents a nd tourists have a small choice of space. Lack of linkage with the surrounding environment, the layout of the venue ca nnot a ttract a certa in number of people.

Bikeway

Mercha nts have set up some rest cha irs a nd ta bles beside the bicycle la nes, a nd provided sha red bicycles, which is very convenient for commuters, but the utiliza tion ra te of some bicycle la nes is very low, a nd the bicycle system lacks overall continuity. There is a lack of bicycle roads within the a rea, a nd some rela ted bicycle road supporting facilities a re lacking. On some roads, there is the problem of motor vehicles occupying bicycle la nes, which has a serious impact on bicycle roads.

Sidewalks

Sidewalks a re usually used for walking, but sometimes people will cha t, wa it for tra ffic lights a nd rest. Some rest facilities a re pa rticula rly suita ble for use in busy a reas. However, the crosswalk space on some roads is often occupied by motor vehicles pa rked on the side of the road, which reduces the space on the sidewalk. And the pedestria n streets in some major a reas lack rela ted infrastructure

Park Pa rk

There a re a certa in number of pa rks, but some pa rks have fewer activities a nd facilities a nd a re not very accessible. The opening hours of some pa rks a re also restricted a nd ca nnot provide convenient service hours for surrounding residents. There a re a certa in number of pa rks tha t a re not very linked to the surrounding a rea.

Green space

Some functions of the green space a re rela tively simple. They ca n only place green pla nts, sculptures, etc., a nd ca nnot provide a good living space for people. The distribution of green space is uneven, a nd there is a lack of green space in the southeast of the base. The utiliza tion ra te of the green space in the south is rela tively low compa red to other green spaces, so we should consider strengthening the connection between the green space a nd the pa rk squa re

Square Squa re

Except for a few tourists who take pictures in the squa re, most residents will rest in the squa re, but there a re fewer types of internal activities, a nd some infrastructure is not perfect, lack of drinking wa ter point cha rging services, etc.

“Commercial development, made up of retail and service uses, serves numerous purposes. It provides local and regional goods and services, provides employment for many citizens and contributes to the health, diversity and vitality of the local economy. It also plays a key role in both shaping the form of the city and defining public spaces.” (City of Winnipeg, 2011, p.100). Thus, commerce is a relevant aspects when dealing with the creation of a 15-minutes city, the strengthening of the local communities and the promotion of local economy. The analysis of commerce in Vimodrone’s 15 MC to be, took into consideration various aspects: distribution, typology, opening hours. The distribution of commerce distribution of commerce shows some relevant patterns within the study area. First of all, we can observe two main axis: the NorthNorthSouth historical axis South historical axis (1) (constituted by via San Remigio, piazza Vittorio Veneto, via IV Novembre) that, thanks to its pedestrian-friendly pedestrian-friendly environment environment and central position, represent the main shopping street of Vimodrone; and the East-West axis East-West axis (2) (strada Padana Superiore) that, thanks to its high accessibility high accessibility, attracts not only local but also metropolitan costumers. Secondly, there can be seen other areas with a high level of commercial concentration: via dei Mille (3), via XI Febbraio (4), via Sant’Anna (5) (particularly the area comprised between via Piave and via Poverello d’Assisi), via Antonio Gramsci (6) and via Piave (7) (the area comprised between via Turati and via San Grato). The analysis highlights that, even though the historic center of Vimodrone presents a good commerce distribution, there are still some areas some areas which do not have access to any type or to very which do not have access to any type or to very few shops few shops. This is the case of the Northern (over the railroad) and the Southern (below via Padana Superiore) part of the study area. The second aspect is typology typology. The analysis considers three main typologies: food-related food-related activities activities (food groceries and food catering), services services (banks, laundry services, real estate agencies, insurance companies, travel agencies, newsstands, tobacco shops, typographies etc.) and shopping shopping (clothes shops, furniture shops, jewelries, florists etc.). Even though most of the shops in the area are comprised in the second category, it can be observed a good level of good level of diversity diversity in all the area. Moreover, it is important to highlight that none of the mapped stores (with the exception of the supermarket on the South) are part of a national or global commercial chains. These two elements make the commerce commerce in Vimodrone very lively and suitable for a in Vimodrone very lively and suitable for a 15-minutes city program 15-minutes city program. In fact, nowadays the citizens can already find most of the necessary shops into the study-area. However, it must be observed that few of these shops are present on social network, this is an aspect that, if improved, could enlarge much the number of possible costumers. The third aspect that has been taken into consideration is opening hours opening hours: this is a very a useful information to understand the chronogegraphy of commerce in the study area. The first thing that must be observed, is the low number ow number of shops that are open on Sunday of shops that are open on Sunday. The majority of the retailers in Vimodrone decide to close on Sunday, this has a general negative impact on the livelihood of the commercial areas and impacts also those shops which, instead, remain open. Moreover, the analysis about the opening hours of shops, shows three similar but still different patterns: 1. although the graph of food-related shops ood-related shops shows two peak hours, the distribution is distribution is much more even even than the one of the other two categories. Moreover, this is the typology of commerce that shows the longest opening time, going from early morning to late night .

However, the activities open at night are still very few. 2. the opening hour of services services is generally divided into two slots two slots: morning and afternoon. However, there are many shops open all day. 3. 3. shopping shopping shows very well defined well defined morning and afternoon time slots time slots.

On the next page: Commerce distribution,