THE FOOD SMART CITY IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Cities all over the world are devouring 75% of Earth’s resources. At the current rate, the urban population is predicted to be double by 2050. The project tries to answer the serious questions about how cities could feed themselves in the future by redeveloping an area of a European city (Milan) through food retail, production, and consumption.

The project provides: the reconnection of the district of Tortona with the area on the other side of the Naviglio; the enhancement of the environmental qualities of the place also related to the important natural ecosystem of the Naviglio; the environmental remediation; the preservation of the memory of the railway; The masterplan consists of an agricultural public park with three main food hubs inside. Most of the available public surface is transformed into green areas and the trace of the rails is used to define the internal paths and the new cycle lane. Hence, the cycle lane becomes the backbone of Porta Genova redesign. It attaches to an existing line in via Solari, it goes through the entire area, crossing the new buildings and then it runs parallel to the Naviglio. The design approach that I followed can be somehow defined as functionalist. The entire project is designed as a machine, where every piece is controlled and functions in a bigger system, by interlocking with the other ones. The project consists of three main hubs. The former station of Porta Genova is restored and redesigned to host novel functions related to food administration. The surrounded area is also rethought as a public space with two declinations, a more traditional square and a food courtyard integrated with the park. The warehouse is also restored and preserved, while new buildings are added around it. The new function of the place is an urban market, which introduces new innovative retailing systems and spaces. The last piece of the masterplan is occupied by an innovative prototype of a vertical urban farm and related agricultural spaces. The important axis of the Naviglio is enhanced and enlarged. All the new public spaces face it. The project also foresees the possibility of increasing its size n two specific points to create a water reservoir, the Darsena Nova, and a fish basin to grow food and provide water for the food hubs. The project also includes two new bridges, which, following the morphology of the context, reconnect the two parts of the city.