Scalo Porta Romana

As a mixed-use redevelopment, the Porta Romana railway yard will see the construction of several residential complexes (105,425 sqm), commercial spaces and office buildings (58,575 sqm), open spaces for recreational activities and urban green areas (115,919 sqm). In addition, the project will renovate the train line crossing the site and will create a new metro station.

The redevelopment of the Porta Romana railway yard will significantly increase the attractiveness of the entire area. The renovation project will likely increase the land value and real estate value of the surrounding areas, with beneficial effects for the landlords and the residents. In addition, the construction of buildings hosting commercial spaces and offices will bring a new influx of local businesses and commercial activities in the area. Moreover, the provision of new commercial spaces and office swill create important job opportunities for the residents and the surrounding areas.

Most of the buildings and renovation works of the railway yard aim to decrease the climate impact of the newly developed district. Firstly, the renovation project will construct low-impact buildings. In particular, the buildings hosting the Olympic Village will be constructed by following the Nearly Zero Energy Building requirements, targeting the LEED certification. To achieve this, the Olympic Village will employ wood as construction material, produce clean energy through solar photovoltaic panels covering 30% of energy demand, collect and reuse rainwater reducing clean water usage by 50%, and reduce 40% of CO2 emission from the heating and cooling system. The district will significantly reduce its emissions through the establishment of car-free zone and the improvements of sustainable mobility options. The new district will see the implementation of 95,325 sqm of urban green areas, with the creation of a Central Park, a Suspended Forest and several green squares. The new green areas will mitigate the urban heat island effect by around 2-3°C, improve the climate resilience of the city and foster the biodiversity of the area. The redeveloped Porta Romana railway yard will gradually become a net-zero emission district through the reduction of energy demand, the production of clean energy, the improvement of sustainable mobility solutions, the construction of on-site green infrastructures and the compensation of emissions with off-site interventions.

To foster inclusiveness of the local community in the redevelopment project, the initiative adopted a participatory approach during the planning and design phase. The developers created a public website to visualize the masterplan and organized two public meetings and two confrontation sessions with citizens and different Municipality commissions. In addition, a survey questionnaire was distributed to gather feedback and proposals on the project from citizens and residents. The redevelopment project will also provide inclusive housing options to create a more inclusive neighborhood hosting residents of different socio-economic contexts. On the total residential surface, 34,850 sqm will be allocated to social housing units and 17,000 sqm will be allocated to subsidized housing options. In addition, the Olympic Village will be reconverted into a student-house. The renovation of the railway yard will also focus on promoting sustainable mobility within the district. The project envisions a network of bicycle paths and pedestrian walks, which will create a car-free district. The project will also renovate and improve the Milano-Mortara train line and will create the new Porta Romana metro station to be connected with the current network. These interventions will improve sustainable mobility and public transportation system, decreasing the usage of private cars. Lastly, after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics the project will provide the area with new residential buildings, helping to reduce the housing pressure experienced in the Municipality.

The Olympic Village that will host the Winter Olympics in 2026 is currently targeting the achievement of LEED Certification.

The development of the Porta Romana railway yard is mainly funded by the Investment fund Porta Romana Fund. In addition, the Municipality of Milan and the public company FS Sistemi Urbani are directly funding the renovation of the train line and the construction of the new metro station.

The redevelopment of the Porta Romana railway yard has been mainly financed by the Porta Romana Fund. The investment fund employed around USD 195 million in private resources and around USD 270 million gathered with sustainability-linked loans for the financial institution Intesa Sanpaolo. From the public sector, FS Sistemi Urbani employed public funds to finance the creation of the new metro station for the Circle Line and the renewal of the train line. The public development company employed the resources generated from the selling of the railway yard site to the Porta Romana Fund and from the development fees gathered by the Municipality of Milan from the development of the area. The Municipality of Milan employed the resources generated from the required development fees, which are paid by the private developer to receive the development rights and permissions to construct on the site. The development fees required by the Municipality of Milan included primary urbanization fees, secondary urbanization fees and extraordinary contribution, which generated USD 22.5, 20.5 and 32.5 million, respectively. The resources gathered by the Municipality of Milan through development fees are transferred to FS Sistemi Urbani to conduct the works on the train line and the new metro station. Lastly, the Municipality of Milan converted the land use of the site to increase land value and allow construction on the new land destinations.

SUR Lab Bocconi (2023). Deliverable ATM 2.

Image from Level House, retrieved here.