Participatory Murals: A ‘Name in Every Neighbourhood’ of Milan 

The Un Nome in Ogni Quartiere (“A Name in Every Neighbourhood”) initiative was developed to reinforce neighbourhood identity and foster social cohesion in peripheral and culturally diverse districts of Milan. Launched in 2021 by the City of Milan in collaboration with YesMilano, the project mobilized local street artists to work alongside students, residents, and neighbourhood associations to create 12 new murals. 

Collaborative public art to strengthen cultural identity 

Each mural was the result of a co-design process. Community workshops gathered stories, local history, and visual ideas from participants. The new murals give every city neighbourhood their own “graphic door” representing the name of their area and what it’s best known for. 

Artistic interpretation was carried out by notable Milanese street artists, who transformed these inputs into large-scale murals. For example, in Quarto Oggiaro, the façade of the local library on Via Otranto was reimagined by Lucia Biancalana and uses images to illustrate the neighbourhood’s defining themes, identified through a survey conducted at the library itself: “growth,” “green,” and “youth” are the recurring concepts that emerged. Meanwhile, in Corvetto on the imposing overpass there is a work by Pablo Pinxit and Loris Lillo, featuring some of the neighbourhood’s iconic elements, from the Signurun de Milan (a local statue) to the Proust armchair by Alessandro Mendini, whose studio is a landmark in the area. 

Creative inclusion to increase social cohesion 

Some neighbourhoods also collaborated with Milanese universities: the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti and the University of Milane conducted neighbourhood research, highlighting the architectural, artistic, and cultural expressions that characterize each area, to consciously design works of urban art that will define their identity.  

The murals are strategically placed in highly visible public spaces – such as libraries, schools, and public housing – symbolically “naming” the neighbourhood while creating a distinctive cultural landmark. Locations include Bovisa, Baggio, Porta Romana, Lorenteggio, Quarto Oggiaro, Vigentino, Dergano, and Corvetto, among others. 

As well as involving students and residents to define the cultural identity of each neighbourhood, the project engaged over 300 school children and community members in painting the murals. This creative inclusion helped increase social cohesion and local pride. 

The City of Milan was also conscious of ensuring gender equality in the selection of artists and curators for each mural, and some were designed and created by collaborating artists. Milanese street artists, curators and production houses involved included Alice Lotti, Sorte, Rendo, Napal, Serena Confalonieri, Marco Goran Romano, Pao, Lucia Biancalana, Luz, Pablo Pinxit and Loris Lillo. 

The project sought to use public art not only as a decorative element, but as a civic tool for recognition, belonging, and inclusion.