For some years now, the definition of the '15-minute city' has frequently appeared in the public debate on real estate and the transformation of Italian and European urban centres.
This paradigm of urban management and development has found full recognition in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, entering into dialogue with the many city regeneration projects activated by cities all over the world, from Paris to Amsterdam, from Milan to Seattle, via Madrid and Edinburgh. A few years ago, CEO Manfredi Catella had already identified the main guidelines for a 15-minute city model: “sustainability and construction excellence on the one hand, and priority to urban connections and the availability of public spaces and services for citizens on the other”.
Milan already represents an internationally recognised example of this model. Alessia Cappello, Councillor for Economic Development and Labour Policies of the Municipality of Milan, emphasises the administration's commitment to achieving this goal: "In the months immediately following the pandemic, we realised that there were areas of the city where it was difficult even to shop for groceries, take care of oneself or find cultural and meeting spaces for young mothers and children" recalls the Councillor, "and precisely to fill this gap, in May this year we presented the first three funding calls of the Three-Year Plan for the Neighbourhood Economy 2024-2027 for a total of almost 5 million euros to support profit and non-profit economic activities in the city's neighbourhoods."
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Alessia Cappello, Councillor for Economic Development and Labour Policies of the Municipality of Milan
In particular, in addition to 'Neighbourhood schools, shops and boutiques', among the calls for bids now being launched is 'Mi15 - Spaces and services for Milan at 15 minutes', aimed at offering concrete contributions to companies capable of generating a positive social or environmental impact on the local community. This is a very important call if we consider that in the last edition of 'Mi15', launched in 2022, 22 Milanese companies were financed, all of them fully active and operational, and a virtuous path was set in motion to support the economy of neighbourhoods, which has favoured small businesses and reduced the daily compulsory journeys of Milan's citizens: “This strategy has contributed to making less central areas of the city more lively, welcoming and safe, while reducing pollution, but it is a result that must be constantly supported and strengthened,” Cappello continues. “This is why we recently organised the first urban economy forum, which brought together trade associations, shopkeepers and local administrators, with the aim of defining concrete initiatives to prevent the disappearance of the shops and workshops that make the city's neighbourhoods lively and pleasant. A project that we supported with a 15 million euro fund”.
But Milan is not a city inhabited solely by its residents. Every day, in fact, hundreds of thousands of people come to the city for work, to carry out their daily activities, to shop, to have fun or simply to pass the time. “Today, by bringing more tools and more opportunities into play, Milan is a candidate to become the hub of a vast urban ecosystem made up of many other urban centres, connected by high-speed rail networks, located about 40 minutes away” says Cappello. And it is precisely the concept of the 40-minute city, touched upon by Manfredi Catella in the 12th edition of the Real Estate Forum, that represents the next urban evolution. An evolution that Milan must prepare to support.
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Detail of the Olympic Village in the Scalo di Porta Romana building site, future venue of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
“I believe that the 40-minute city model is, in some ways, a natural continuation of supporting neighbourhood activities. Because a more efficient city, from the centre to the periphery, is also more attractive and receptive to new opportunities,” the Councillor elaborates. “From Expo 2015 onwards, Milan has experienced a series of major transformations that have profoundly changed its urban appearance. Each of these has represented an opportunity to redraw the map of the city, responding to the needs of citizens, guests and tourists. Many of today's initiatives have been designed to make the urban area more vital and liveable: I am thinking of the redevelopment of the former railway yards, the works for the construction of the Olympic Village in view of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, Porta Vittoria, Bovisa and MIND, but also the radial interventions throughout the entire municipal area with a more limited impact that concern the regeneration of neighbourhoods, squares or individual building complexes. In this, too, Milan has become a model for the rest of our country”.
In this context, it is essential to guarantee a system of connections on an urban scale capable of supporting large flows of people and discouraging the use of personal vehicles, focusing on strengthening public transport and providing alternatives to the use of cars. “A transformation from which we are convinced the entire Milanese productive fabric will benefit,” Cappello resumes. “It is clear that connections make neighbourhoods more lively and liveable and contribute to a more equitable, beautiful and sustainable city. Regeneration is an opportunity to encourage the birth of new businesses and activities where there were none before, also creating job opportunities. An important part of this process, of which I am particularly proud, is the redevelopment of the buildings housing the covered markets, which we have transformed into welcoming and modern meeting places, increasingly multifunctional, capable of housing not only shops but also the headquarters of neighbourhood associations and committees.”
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Looking to the future, Milan is projected towards 2030 with the ambition of being an example of sustainability and inclusion. A responsibility that involves all those who work daily for the regeneration of the city, such as the world of real estate, whose ability to integrate territorial government plans with innovative design, technological and construction choices can make a decisive contribution to realising the city model advocated by Councillor Cappello: “In the coming years Milan must be a city that fully embraces its responsibility towards the planet, demonstrating that the transition to a sustainable future is not only feasible, but also beneficial to all. Being the fulcrum of a '40 minutes' system does not only mean being the aggregator and economic engine of what surrounds the city, but also an example and model to be inspired by and aspire to, a place to go to confront a productive, social and cultural environment that is constantly evolving. We must work concretely to deliver to future generations and young families a greener urban environment, a more liveable city, rich not only in opportunities, but capable of being truly inclusive and welcoming.”
