After various demonstration projects in 2018 and 2019, in which the city tested the new methodology, at the end of 2019, the City of Milan launched a call for proposals entitled “Piazze Aperte in ogni quartiere” (Open Squares in every neighborhood), with the aim of identifying new spaces to be transformed, receiving over 60 suggestions.
As of May 2022, the Municipality of Milan has now implemented almost 40 tactical interventions and continues to plan new ones—with one in two Milanese residents now living within 15 minutes (800 meters) of a piazza aperta.
The outcomes of this project are summarized in a new report released by the city of Milan, produced with the support of Bloomberg Associates and GDCI.
The 38 Piazze Aperte
Timeline
2018 Launch of Piazza Dergano e Angilberto II—the first piazze to be implemented as part of a collaboration with Bloomberg Associates, Global Designing Cities Initiative, and Comune di Milano
2019 13 piazze implemented
October 2019 Open call for “piazze aperte in ogni quartiere” proposals receives 65 proposals from 200+ associations and 800+ citizens
Piazze Aperte aims to enhance public spaces and turn them into community gathering places, to extend pedestrian areas, and to promote sustainable forms of mobility to benefit the environment and improve the quality of life in the city. The goal is to put public spaces once again at the center of community life and to encourage people to make the most of public squares, rather than just using them for parking or thoroughfares.
Piazze Aperte uses a new approach to urban design, based on short-term, low-cost measures aimed at creating new public spaces and safer streets. This use of interim or tactical urbanism strategies allows cities to try out new uses for urban spaces, and to launch long-term strategies to promote city living.
The advantages of this approach are linked to the immediate impact that these measures have on local residents, who can themselves become advocates for innovation projects and active participants in urban transformation.
Via Pacini. Credit: Apicultura
Via Monte Velino. Credit: Comune di Milano
Piazza Spoleto-Venini. Credit: Comune di Milano
Piazza Minniti. Credit: Comune di Milano
Piazza Spoleto-Venini.
Piazza Laghetto. Credit: Andrea Biroli
Piazza Dergano. Credit: Comune di Milano
Piazza Abgilberto II. Credit: Comune di Milano
Piazza Tripoli. Credit: Stefano Orofino
The temporary nature of tactical urbanism allows cities to try out solutions that can be reversed if needed before investing time and resources into permanent infrastructure. Interim, simple, fast, and economical solutions can produce immediate benefits, test experimental solutions, help in making the right choices, and support future decision-making on permanent solutions.
Through “Collaboration Agreements” – a written tool through which the City of Milan and its residents define the aims, objects and expected results of the “Piazze Aperte” program – active citizens, informal groups, associations, educational institutions, committees, foundations, and companies promoting “corporate maintenance” can collaborate with the Administration to implement programs that address the management, maintenance, improvement, and activation of various forms of urban commons.
Selection of Projects
Piazza Spoleto-Venini
Piazza Spoleto-Venini, Prima.
Piazza Spoleto-Venini, Dopo.
Piazzale di Porta Genova
Porta Genova, Prima.
Porta Genova, Dopo.
Piazza Sicilia
Piazza Sicilia, Prima.
Piazza Sicilia, Dopo.
For more information, download the Piazze Aperte report!
Thanks to: Chistie Klima, Demetrio Scopelliti, Stefano Ragazzo, the Bloomberg Associates team, and all the people involved in the Piazze Aperte program
For info about this project, please contact fabrizio@gdci.globalFor media inquiries, please contact annah@gdci.global
Scaling up Streets for Kids: Highlights from the 2025 Streets for Kids Leadership Accelerator
In 2025, GDCI brought together a selected group of 10 city teams working to scale up their efforts to create more and better Streets for Kids in Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador through multiple projects, programs, and policies. Here’s a look back and key learnings from a two-month online capacity-building program.
In October 2024, the Streets for Kids project was inaugurated in the Jordão neighborhood in Recife, Brazil, a community where children faced multiple challenges accessing safe and high-quality public spaces. Heavy rains, frequent flooding, and landslide risks often made their journey to school dangerous and unpredictable. Throughout the process, children, caregivers, school staff, and residents were engaged to co-create solutions that improve access to schools, supporte outdoor play and social connection, and set a precedent for future child-focused street transformations in Recife.
Creating Safer Spaces for Play: Tackling Air Pollution in Accra
In collaboration with the Korle Klottey Municipality and with support from the Clean Air Fund, GDCI launched the Removing Pollution from Play project in late 2023, with the aim to tackle air pollution in school environments by implementing practical solutions, raising awareness, and empowering communities to advocate for cleaner air. In March 2025, the completed intervention was inaugurated, and the new safe play space now serves over 150 students in Accra.
