Redefining green space: Milan’s botanical garden is a hub for creativity

The Purpose
As part of a wider regeneration project, the City of Milan has created a unique park and botanic garden, combining nature, culture and leisure. It is now being sustained through an innovative public-private partnership with a cultural organization.

The Challenge
A public-private partnership with a cultural body to manage a unique botanical garden.

20 winners of a City poetry competition had their nature-inspired words written on the many paths that crisscross the park.

The Solution
The urban regeneration of the di Porta Nuova area began in 1999, with the creation of the Biblioteca Alberi Park in 2017 as its final stage. The 7,500-square-metre green space was developed from bare earth, with a planting design based around three species of trees, each giving the area its name. Today it contains over 100 botanical species, consisting of 500 trees forming 22 circular forests and 135,000 plants. It also includes a picnic area, bowling greens, and playgrounds adapted for children with disabilities. In 2018, 20 winners of a City poetry competition had their nature-inspired words written on the many paths that crisscross the park. The design of the park speaks to a growing concern for the relationship between people and nature in a time of climate emergency. It also demonstrates that urban green space can be a pocket of biodiversity and a route to controlling urban heat islands.

The Impact
From 2018, the arts group Fondazione Riccardo Catella was involved in cultural programming for the park, including guided tours, concerts and education. The following year, it entered a formal public-private partnership with the City. It is now responsible for the management, safety, maintenance and cultural program of the space. Through this, the City hoped to develop the space for local people, as well as an attraction for visitors, through its botanic novelty, activities and projects. Locals and tourists are welcome to get involved with the care of plants and trees, and with arts programming. The result is a regeneration of the area that highlights environmental sustainability. It has also piloted an innovative model where cultural and creative industries and the public administration work together on the urban regeneration of the city.

Source: World Cities Culture Report 2022

Images Courtesy © City of Milan