Milano Metropoli has played an active role in all the main regeneration and urban development schemes implemented in the province of Milan over the last few years.

Milano Metropoli - pioneers in Italy in the application of temporal policies to urban re-development - studies the city in its entirety, planning it in such a way as to integrate all its physical, economic and socio-environmental components. Private and public resources are complementary in this systemic approach, where engaging local players and defining integrated strategies on various different scales, from the local to the provincial and regional scale, is absolutely key. 

The Agency works alongside public institutions, universities, category associations and groups of businesses to experiment and study new, strategic solutions and consolidate an effective model for re-qualifying and re-launching the whole Milanese region. It belongs to AUDIS - an association of derelict urban areas - and to the European urban regeneration network within the context of CABERNET (Concerted Action on Brownfield and Economic Regeneration Network): www.cabernet.org.uk.

Some of the most significant projects:

• Urban II Milano (2006-2010). An EU regional development programme promoted by Milan City Council to re-launch the huge area situated to the north west of the city and including the districts of Bovisa, Bovisasca, Certosa, Garegnano, Musocco, Quarto Oggiaro, Vialba and Villapizzone.  Actions taken include the opening of a service centre for the area, the publication of a competition to support social enterprises and the implementation of a series of integrated projects to re-launch the area. 
  
• The Soderini - Cantiere del Nuovo provincial excellence centre (2009-2010). The project involves setting up a centre of excellence, in via Soderini, focusing on innovation, training and work. Milano Metropoli is working alongside the Province of Milan to define the strategic services that this centre is to house. The project - devised by our Agency - proposes setting up a creative hub, with suitable spaces and services, that will support the start-up and consolidation of creative enterprises, a "spinner" to enhance Milan's university and higher education system, a centre for the future of work and up-and-coming professions. Milano Metropoli is also coordinating the design and outfitting of the interior spaces of the creative hub.
• Improvement of the Il Girasole and ex-Omar areas in Lacchiarella (2008-2010). Milano Metropoli is helping the La Chiarella town council to improve and re-launch two major brownfields: the privately owned Il Girasole area, and the publicly owned former Omar industrial area. The feasibility studies conducted by our Agency have analyzed the state of the art and the prospects of future development connected with the urban and environmental regeneration of these areas.
• The Quartiere Sant'Eusebio contract (2002-2006): a social building re-development scheme, with the active participation of the local community, in a run-down area of Cinisello Balsamo. Milano Metropoli promoted and managed the creation of facilities to house business activities and artisan workshops.

• Urban Italia Cinisello Balsamo (2002 - 2006). The project led to the re-qualification of public places and historic buildings (piazza Soncino, Villa Forno, etc.) that have changed the image of certain areas of the town. In addition to upgrading some of the area's architectural and urban assets, Urban played an important planning role, defining new services to be established in these places and effectively involving the local community in the project. Milano Metropoli contributed to the planning work and helped organize social activities. In partnership with CRIS - a social centre for  social enterprise - our Agency also helped set up social enterprises.
  
• Camfin Rho-Pero integrated intervention area (2006). Milano Metropoli worked alongside the owners of the area, in agreement with the local councils, to define a strategic facility to be located there. The idea is to set up Italy's first "Global Village", i.e. a place that can host functions and activities linked to the theme of internationalization and opening towards global markets.
  
• Stecca degli Artigiani - Quartiere Isola (2006). An innovative re-development project, commissioned by a private body, aimed at converting a property in Milan's Isola district into facilities for entrepreneurial, artisan and artistic associations. Milano Metropoli helped the owners define the best way to organize and manage the building.

Other projects

• SURE: a time oriented model for Sustainable Urban Regeneration (2002-2005). A European research project aimed at improving the population's quality of life by experimenting new forms of integration between urban development and the time perspective. The project examined a series of cognitive, technical and organizational methods and instruments and produced a chronographic software package that can describe the town according to a time-oriented approach. http://www.sure-project.com/  
• Regentif (2003-2006). An innovative project that approaches urban regeneration in a multi-disciplinary, participatory, flexible and integrated manner. The aim of the project is to facilitate the conversion of an industrial site, increasing its appeal for SMEs in the service industry, dynamic companies that produce knowledge and innovation. Regentif methodology was experimented in three brownfields in Spain (Lemoiz), Italy (MaGe of Sesto San Giovanni) and Poland (Stalowa Wola). http://www.regentif.org/