Two New Traditional Neighborhoods for the Town of Rozzano, Milan

A town of 42,000 inhabitants in the agricultural belt on the south side of Milan, Rozzano was developed in the 1960s and 1970s on the Soviet suburban model to house migrant workers from the south. The stock of modular cement high-rises is now deteriorating rapidly and will not be restored or replaced with similar buildings. The town council intends to replace this fabric with one that is more livable, following the principles of New Urbanism. Two projects are being developed for new mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods on municipal sites. The projects will become part of the town’s Development Plan and the sites will be offered to developers who are to build the new quarters as designed. The results will serve as examples of how to renew Rozzano – using traditional local building models of urban, rural, and agricultural architecture. The initiative is a chance to create a ground-breaking example of suburban sprawl repair.