Announcement of Pro-ject 2007 Size 290,000 m2 (29 ha) Start of construction 2007 Est’ed completion 2012 Cost € 2,500,000,000 > € 2,000,000,000 from private sources and minimal public financing for the regional and mu-nicipal administration of-fices

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Milano – Porta Nuova, Italy

Historically a manufacturing city, Milan is currently trying to transform itself into a global city defined by three Fs: finance, fashion, and furniture. Within this trans-formation, the city has become the larg-est construction site in Europe with ap-proximately 150 urban redevelopment projects either at the design stage or al-ready under construction at a total cost of about € 15 to € 20 billion Euros.

Porta Nuova – the new gate – is one of the most prestigious amongst them. The re-development was announced in 2007 and includes three separately financed and designed projects – Garibaldi, Isola, and Varesine – that will cover about 7 ha around the Garibaldi train station. Previ-ously, the area used to be an overgrown wasteland of unused railroad tracks.

Although the redevelopment of the Gar-ibaldi area had been subject of debate for more than 50 years, according to Ger-ald D. Hines (founder and president of the real estate firm Hines) it was Manfredi Catella (the director of Hines Italia) who initiated Porta Nuova by approaching Hines with the words “Jerry I’d like to take some options on the land adjoining Geribaldi Repubblica.” “I said, ‘Well, go ahead.’ And he did.” Hines now functions as the prime developer for all three sub-sites while each one has its own master

plan and architect, respectively in addi-tion to the 16 different architecture offices designing individual buildings and the 9 different private investors.

The idea behind Porta Nuova is to build “one of the great centers of Italy and Europe,” to “reflect the new Milan,” and to “introduce 24 hour activity into the heart of Milano”. It will host regional and city county buildings, 57,000 m2 of office space, a large hotel, 400 apartments, 11,000 m2 of commercial space, 5 cultural centers, and the 10 ha park Giardini di Porta Nuova. Additionally, one of its high-lights will be the Città della Moda e del Design – a Fashion City – which includes a nearly 10,000 m2 large showroom build-ing where tenants can sell their wares as well as a fashion museum and fashion school.

Moreover, Cesar Pelli, founder of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and architectural master planner for the Porta Nuova Gar-ibaldi area, believes that Porta Nuova will function as a bridge between the cur-rently divided north and south part of Mi-lan: “Our project offers the hope to re-unite these two parts but also creating a new destination, a new center. I imagine it will also be full of children, families, people shopping. We will feel […] in a oasis in the city.”

Resources: Official website www.porta-nuova.com/en

Promotion video/project overview http://www.porta-nuova.com/en/progetto/filosofia/video/

Lombardi regional govern-ment www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/_s.155/606?divcnt=pagename=PortaleLombardia%2FNews%2FPL_singola_news,c=News,cid=1180220715762,dir_gen=off,fronte=off,ottica=off&PRLso=off

Media coverage Galbraith, Robert 2007 “An urban renaissance is trans-forming Milan” International Harold Tribune July 10, 2007.

Giannattasio, Maurizio 2007 “Grattacieli, parchi, uffici e abitazioni. ‘Cinque anni per cambiare Milano’” Milano Corriere. March 31, 2007.

http://milano.corriere.it/cronache/articoli/2007/05_Maggio/30/progetto_garibaldi.shtml

Sokol, David 2008 “’Fashion-able’ project reflects the new Milan.” Architectural Record. 196(11) p. 45.

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Finance, fashion, and furniture

Sources: Google Earth 2009; milano.corriere.it.

Project partner Private development Hines (developer), 9 Italian and intl. investors, 7 banks, 3 master plan architecture offices, 16 architecture companies Projects Components 360,000 m2 of office, resi-dential, and commercial spaces large central park and sev-eral bicycle paths cultural and community centers automobile tunnel under the park and central piazza

This project profile was developed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) Emmy Noether Research Project on “The Urban Renaissance Potential of Inner-City Rail Station Redevelopment Mega-Projects.” For additional information on the project: http://megaprojects.metropolitanstudies.de