RiconnettiMI: Ecological connection among the municipalities of Milan, Cormano and Novate Milanese

The involved area was a territory whose naturalistic features were heavily compromised by uncontrolled urbanization. The territory was heavily inflicted from an ecological connections point of view and it was important to recover it by exploiting free or awaiting identification zone using hedges, fields, and meadows to allow fauna (especially birdlife) to move into the urbanized area.

In order to start the process of unification between the two part of Park and the green areas, a feasibility study was needed to identify municipal technical data to the citizen’s associations, the exact typology, and location of the functional interventions to create large-scale ecological connections.

In order to conduct an accurate and exhaustive study, it was decided to form a multidisciplinary team in terms of competencies. The objective of the study was to determine the structural defragmentation and the environmental improvement through the reconstruction of habitats with a strong awareness of the citizens about the environmental and natural values of free areas and the possibilities of their use to build green infrastructures.

Once the team was formed, we tested directly on the fields the ecological connection level between the two green zones. A census was made of the species present in the free areas and, on the urban plan, of the volumetric rights present in these areas. At last a “Bioblitz” was organized with the cooperation of citizens well aware of the naturalistic value of apparently abandoned areas.

The external partners involved in the project are:

• Municipality of Novate Milanese;
• ONLUS Il Giardino degli Aromi;
• Municipality of Milan, both green and urban offices;
• Balossa PLIS;
• Other specialists, such as naturalists and landscape architects.

No action has been made in the area, awaiting financing. The project, however, has improved citizens’ expectations by direct them to the green infrastructure rather than the urban area.

1. Be able to connect the green areas considering the particular location;
2. Win the citizens’ distrust towards the institution;
3. Project effective ecological interventions in a densely urbanized area.

Getting into the urban realities. It is not so easy to explain to a citizen the importance of an ecological connection of the parks. Being successful, thanks also to external partners, to carry out this project starting from the bottom is surely the most important aspect.