Piazza dei Piccoli Martiri: a project for Gorla
1.1 Gorla
Gorla is a district of Milan and is part of the Municipality 2. Located in the north-eastern area of the city along Viale Monza, the neighborhood overlooks the Martesana canal which characterized the history of the neighborhood. The Martesana route was characterized by the presence of aristocratic villas of which visible traces are still present; at the end of the 19th century, the neighborhood came from building development and the navigability of the canal favors the development of large industries, especially factories and textile companies that have characterized the recent history of the neighborhood. The district, where the historic site of the famous Zelig cabaret show is located, has other sites of historical interest such as the “Villa Singer”, “Villa Finzi” with a large green area annexed where the “Temple of the Night” and the “Temple of Innocence” are located, the Clarisse monastery, designed by the famouse Milanese architect Giovanni Muzio; Ponte Vecchio, one of the two bridges of the 16th century that can still be traveled by cars in all Lombardy and the monument of the “Little Martyrs of Gorla”.
1.2 The Little Martyrs of Gorla
Gorla is sadly remembered for “Gorla tragedy”: on October 20, 1944 during the Second World War in an American air action, he dropped the bombs exchanged on the neighborhood to hit some industrial plants. The victims were numerous and one of the bombs hit the elementary school “Francesco Crispi” causing the death of 184 children and 19 teachers and attendants. In 1947 the municipality of Milan entrusted the entire artist and sculptor Remo Brioschi with the task to make a monument in memory of the massacre. The sculpture is characterized by a bronze figure of a mother holding up the body of a child. Behind the female figure, an architectural structure in granite with the inscription “QUESTA E’ LA GUERRA” / “THIS IS THE WAR” followed by the date of the massacre. A large, severe and touching monument that recalls the tragedy of the war and that makes the square one of the most sensitive places in the neighborhood and in all of Milan.
2.1 Piazza dei Piccoli Martiti / Ponte Vecchio
Our intervention site is located in front of this important monument in the “Piazza dei Piccoli Martiri”. The areas of our competence are in fact the public square in front of the monument, open 24/7, a large green area accessible from the square and closed by a gate at night, the roads that unite them: “Via Fratelli Pozzi” and “Via Ponte Vecchio” and “Via Bertelli”, in the other side of “Ponte Vecchio” where the Martesana cycle path is located, widely used by Milanese runners. The environment is rich of history: in addition to the Remo Brioschi monument, in fact, we find “Ponte Vecchio”, a bridge that has linked the two banks of the Martesana since 500; “Villa Singer” residential complex built in the 19th century which throughout history was first a perfume distillery and then became the municipal seat of the neighborhood, up to the present day, in which the Villa is a private residence of the antiquarian Marco Arosio and is commonly used to shoot photographic and television advertisements. Inside the large green area we find the “Monastery of the Poor Clares”, the work of the famous Milanese architect Giovanni Muzio. In this architecture we can see the lines that the architect will then use for his most famous work: “The Basilica of the Annunciation” in Jerusalem. In front of it we find a more recent architecture in which there is a retirement home: the elevations and materials have been designed to dialogue with Muzio’s architecture obviously.
2.2 Issues
The area of intervention presents a series of problems already highlighted by a proposal started by the “Gorla Domani” association to regulate them:
• 10 km / h area: along the roads of “Via Ponte Vecchio” and “Via Fratelli Pozzi” the driver should pay more attention and proceed at limited speed: the area is often used by elderly residents of the rest home with reduced mobility and to cross the canal they must share the road with the vehicles.
• Abusive Parking: almost all of our work areas are subject to illegal parking: the part of “Via Bertelli” that can be traveled by car to access their homes; in “Via Fratelli Pozzi” in front of the monument where parking is also forbidden for the sensitive of the place. From this point of view, the corner between “Via Fratelli Pozzi” and “Via Ponte Vecchio” takes particular importance: this area is in fact subject to illegal parking and is very dangerous because it prevents the only access to the rest home for ambulances, AMSA etc …
• Viability of Ponte Vecchio: Ponte Vecchio should be for the exclusive use of pedestrians during the weekend but the ban is not respected. This intersection represents one of the most sensitive points of our project because the bridge of ‘500 is the only passage point between the two sides of the Martesana and the narrow road section is shared between pedestrians, cyclists and cars. The intersection is, as previously mentioned, dangerous especially for nursing home guests, the elderly or people with reduced mobility. The use of Ponte Vecchio is also not essential for vehicles as it is used only to avoid crossing the busiest “Viale Monza” a few hundred meters away; in fact, the PRG of 2030 provides for the total closure to traffic of this bridge.
- Green Area: the green area in front of the Poor Clare Monastery is still underused and the inhabitants of the neighborhood use it as a dog area despite the fact that there is a ban.
2.3 “Gorla Domani” proposal
To answer some of the problems highlighted in paragraph 2.2, the “Gorla Domani” association has developed a project divided into the following points:
• 10 km / h area: artistic intervention on the road surface in “Ponte Vecchio” and “Via Fratelli Pozzi” to suggest greater caution to the driver
• Abusive Parking: avoid illegal parking in Via Bertelli by creating a series of games for children on the road surface to educate the driver not to park in that area
- Green Area: to make the area more attractive and avoid using it as a dog area, the association has decided to insert ping-pong tables inside the green area.
3.1 Concept
According to an initial research phase and subsequent feedback sessions with the proponents, we developed our concept: “The relics of the Martesana: a place where different generations meet”. To respect the memory and sensitivity of the place, we therefore thought of a series of silent and respectful activities, which we then linked to the memories of our grandparents: fairy tales before going to sleep; knowledge and traditions handed down from generation to generation; table games such as chess, cards etc … This is to promote the sharing of spaces with the elderly in the nursing home: a topic dear to proponents. We therefore decided to emphasize the rich history of the Gorla district, promoting a series of cultural initiatives and a treasure hunt through a QR code to better show the treasures of the Martesana.
3.2 2020 project (Activities, Users, Intervention)
• Book-Crossing Library:
In the “Square of the Little Martyrs” in front of the monument we thought of inserting a Book-crossing library to encourage cultural initiatives and low-noise activities to respect the monument. Improve the area: one of the aspects that emerged from the co-design sessions was a suggestion for the correct inclination of the benches to improve the quality of the view along the canal. Otherwise our goal is improving the care of the greenery, the care of the bushes, the flowers and repainting the municipal benches.
• QR Code Point:
To enhance the cultural wealth of the neighborhood, we thought of inserting a QR CODE plate to suggest to users the use of an application that, in addition to managing the activities of our project, can show various points of interest in an interactive map. From the co-design sessions we discovered that the association “Gorla Tomorrow” in conjunction with “Ecomuseo Martesana” have already made a series of plates to be put along the Martesana path that describe some important points of interest. This initiative could also be interesting for runners, creating sports routes to discover the treasures along the Martesana canal.
• Urban Garden:
In front of the Clarisse Monastery we thought of inserting a small urban garden. This choice was born according to an initial research phase and from the co-design session. The Municipality 2 of Milan is very active in the topic of green and the proximity to our site with “”Orto di Viale Padova” could make it as easy maintenance. The choice is also due to the verification of the results relating to the questionnaires shared with the inhabitants of the neighborhood in the Facebook group “Sei di Gorla se …” where 9 out of 13 participants said they favored the initiative. During the Co-design sessions it emerged that Angelo Caruso, head of the “City art” association, one of the associations involved in the project is heavily involved in a series of public initiatives such as the “La linea Rossa”, a urban regeneration intervention in “Viale Monza” where the association, involving several educational institutions, sowed thousands of poppies that color “Viale Monza” every year. Angelo said he was in favor of the initiative and gave his willingness to try to involve the schools in the neighborhood to cooperate in the maintenance.
• Relax / Game area:
In the large green area in front of the monastery, we thought of including activities related to the urban garden. In fact, for older people there will be the opportunity to enjoy the view of the Martesana in a relaxation area that follows the right inclination to enjoy the best view of the Naviglio as well as an area dedicated to the youngest with Ping-Pong tables for having fun and venting after working in the garden.
• Pedestrian / Cycle path:
The area represented by the cross between “Via Bertelli” and the brige of Ponte Vecchio is one of the most critical and dangerous points of our project. As mentioned before, the narrow stretch of road is shared between pedestrians, cyclists and cars; that makes unsafe the use of this street that connects the two sides of the canal. After passing the intersection, cars across the “Martesana cycle path”; pathway widely used by Milanese runners and pedestrians; this intersection is uncomfortable and dangerous for those who move on foot and rides must pay extra-attention. The part of the road we are responsible for, east side considering Ponte Vecchio presents different problems:
- Abusive parking: The cars that have access on this part of the street to enter in their condominiums, often park cars illegally on this piece of road dedicated to pedestrians, although it is expressly prohibited by road signs.
- • Illegal signs: The pedestrian cycle track, built in the 90’s, does not allow to regulate flows respecting the rules of the Italian law of 2020. In fact, the stretch of road on the “Viale Monza” side has horizontal signs that should regulate the flow of cyclists; but I don’t respect the regular code. A road section dedicated to cyclists for both directions should be 2.50m when a 2.00m track is currently marked. The situation is critical, in the part of the road towards Viale monza in fact, in front of the “Seven: Casa dei Ciliegi” restaurant, pedestrians are obliged to pass over the marked cycle path. In our part of interest the road hasn’t signs on the road surface and the size section varies between 7 m to 4 m, which does not allow to regulate the flows between pedestrians and cyclists in both directions of travel; to aggravate the situation, this stretch of cycle path can also be used by cars, albeit for a short stretch and at limited speed. To respond to these problems we thought of a tactical urban planning intervention, in which temporariness was fundamental to make the intervention removable in the future. For this reason, we thought of a series of high-performance adhesives for outdoor use, to create “Art on the road” to educate car drivers not to park on it. Not being able to regulate the flows in a legal road, we thought of creating a line that ideally separates the road: a series of designs that are intertwined with our floral theme educates people on the use of the road section. The logo of a rabbit and the yellow color will therefore educate users to use the section closest to the canal if you are going fast or conducting sporting activities. The remaining road section, highlighted by the color and red flower and the logo of a snail,
will educate the user that this section is dedicated to walking and relaxing.
• Abusive parking: To respond to the various abusive parking problems we thought of different solutions: in front of the monument we thought of physically preventing parking by inserting Flower pots which will then be taken care of in our urban garden. In the other points highlighted above in the corner between “Via Ponte Vecchio” and “Via Fratelli Pozzi” and on the other side of the canal in “Via Bertelli” we thought of using a tactical urban planning intervention by creating drawings on the road surface recalling the concept of our project: the flower; explained in the previous paragraph.
- 10 km / h area: To educate car drivers to proceed with caution we have decided to restrict the roadway in “Via Ponte Vecchio” and “Via Fratelli Pozzi” by creating a 60 cm line for the descent of passengers in parking lots in a row in “Via Fratelli Pozzi” extending it to “Via Ponte Vecchio” at the height of the bridge entrance.
- Viability of Ponte Vecchio: To regulate the viability in Ponte Vecchio during the weekends we investigated the possibility of organizing events. The “City Art” association has often organized events and artistic exhibitions in this place. We also found a number of very youthful activities in the neighborhood that could participate in this initiative by organizing their own kiosk or involving renowned itinerant activities such as “Pico Brew” or “Zibo cuochi itineranti” commonly found in Milan.
- Viability of Ponte Vecchio: During the research phase and the co-design sessions we discovered the close connection between our space and the “City Art” association which is located in Via Dolomiti, two minutes from Ponte Vecchio. Angelo Caruso, head of this association, is heavily involved in public urban regeneration initiatives such as “La Linea Rossa” in Viale Monza and has also taken care of creating a series of artistic exhibitions in our Piazza collaborating with young Milanese and European artists; such as “In Volo”; “mARTesana”; “mART(s)” and other.
3.3 A step in history
To strengthen the cultural value of our space we decided to name the areas of our project with memories that characterized the history of the neighborhood:
• “The Muzio Garden”: The urban garden in front of the Clarisse monastery is named after the great Milanese architect who designed the church, Giovanni Muzio. Beyond this Church, where it is possible to glimpse the line that he will use for his great masterpiece: “The Basilica of the Annunciation of Jerusalem”, Muzio has designed other famous buildings in Milan such as the “Triennale” museum, the “Turati Tower” and the “Palazzo dell ‘ Arengario” in the Duomo square, collaborating with the architects Portaluppi and Magistretti.
•“Villa Angelica Playground”: to complete the green area in front of the monastery we thought of placing a park and an area dedicated to the youngest in the area where once “Villa Angelica” was located. This aristocratic Villa with the tower for decades has characterized the view of the Martesana. It was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the current Clarisse monastery. In the public area in front of the monument there are still some stones that were part of the building. The goal for 2030 is to bring these stones into the closed air of our project and highlight them with a memorial.
• “Singer Library”: the library in front of the monument is named like the building that has characterized the neighborhood for years; first aristocratic Villa, then perfume distillery until it became the seat of the municipality of Gorla today it is the private residence of an antique dealer. One step away from Ponte Vecchio, the Villa is one of the most characteristic buildings in the neighborhood.
- “Old Canottieri Way”: Villa Angelica was also home to the “Canottieri Martesana” historic sports club in Milan. In this stretch of canal on the shadow of the Ponte Vecchio, the world rowing champions of 1935 have been trained. We therefore decided to name this sporting area at the centenary sports club born in Milan.
3.4 Qr Code App / Wi-fi Area
To emphasize the cultural wealth of the place, we thought about the possibility of developing an application that highlights the treasures along the Martesana on a map. All data and historical points of interest are present on the website of the association “Gorla Domani”. With this simple intervention we want to encourage the inhabitants of the neighborhood to understand and appreciate the points of interest of their neighborhood, often forgotten, creating cultural routes that can also be used by runners with new sportive routes along these treasure. In this way, we also want to encourage the installation of a public Wi-fi area in the square for the 2020 vesion, a topic highlighted by the proposers. The use of an application could then serve to organize our activities related to the urban garden and the schedule for the week-end event.
4.1 2030 vision
We started planning the vision for 2030 to have a more complete vision. The area 10 km/h is suggested by the narrowing of the road section, replacing the 60 cm line for the descent of passengers on a sidewalk to allow people to regain space. To start designing the spaces dedicated to the activities we created a 2mx2m grid, respecting the rules of proxemics related to the “Covid 19” situation; following the correct orientation suggested by the feedback session. Then we have divided the areas considering which to insert in the part open 24/7 and which to insert in the part closed by the gate listening to the opinions of the proposers of “Gorla Domani” association. We decide to design all of our furniture for the 2030 to improve and reinforced our concept: in fact, we used the shapes of “Meccano” an ancient game with simple shapes and modularity creating a simple and ancient scenario. We also thought of inserting digital totems to allow those without a phone to access the application dedicated at the “Relics of Martesana”. For the most of furniture materials we got inspired by a case study in Japan where the designers Kume Sekkeu decided to use a “Memory Marble” in which the shadow generated by the trees is printed on a given date. In the 2030 solution we would like to use this language with our materials, to highlight the sensitivity of the place.
4.2 Abacus of element 2030
5.1 2020 vision
We then translated our proposal for 2030 into a simpler and easier one but keeping the same activities make it possible for the near future, choosing from the various catalogs and from the open squares toolkit the various public furnishings that would meet our needs. We therefore designed custom furniture such as the book-crossing library to recall our shape of “Meccano”. In the 2020 solution the book crossing library is designed to be mounted on the existed trees in the sqare and we decide to improve the relax area in front of the Monument adding rounded benches around the trees, to enjoy the shadow and the Martesana view. After an inspection that took place on Friday 15th of May. To include the inhabitants of the population in the creation of this project we thought about the possibility of collaborating with the children of the neighborhood for the realization of the pictorial works on the road surface in the corner between “Via Ponte Vecchio” and “Via Fratelli Pozzi” using the technique of stencil and water based paint for the safety of the applicators. We research then about some possible stakeholders for the material of our designed furniture: -“WeMake” creative Hub; Via Stefano da Vimercate; 27 -Supermarket of neighborhood; Via Monte San Gabriele; Via Fratelli Pozzi — “Orto di Viale Padova”; Via Leonardo Cambini
5.2 Abacus of element 2020
6.1 Thanksgiving
We wanted to thank sincerely the proponents of our project. Their contribution and continuous contacts during this semester have allowed us to better understand our spaces in a situation made difficult by the Covid 19 emergency. Thanks in particular to the figures of Franco Torti and Angelo Caruso, respectively heads of the associations “Gorla Domani” and “City Art”, their time and their passion was fundamental for the development of our project.
7.1 References
_Sitography
_Massive Co-Design: A Proposal for a Collaborative Design Framework.
Anna Meroni; Daniela Selloni; Martina Rossi; Franco Angeli Design International Open access
_CoDesign for public — interest services
Daniela Selloni; Springer; Fondazione Politecnico di Milano
