Parco Romana, Milan

The scheme reimagines a large railway yard that has divided the area for over a century. It reconnects fragmented neighbourhoods with a vibrant, mixed-use district grounded in inclusivity, biodiversity, resilience, connectivity, and well-being. Centred around a new Great Park, the development celebrates its layered histories while offering shared environments for living and working, uniting a diverse community of residents, students, office workers, athletes, and visitors.

The park features a unique topographic design extending over the active railway, creating an accessible and multifunctional green space for the neighbourhood. The Suspended Forest, a linear elevated greenway, contains rather than erases the existing railway infrastructure, incorporating hundreds of trees and providing dedicated walking routes with unexpected views of the surrounding area. A biodiverse woodland and wetland Eco-zone interspersed with community gardens runs alongside the tracks, offering communal activities focused on health and well-being while connecting with Milan’s Green Rays environmental network.

Framing these open spaces, a series of urban blocks with landscaped courtyards reflect the scale and form of historic Milanese urban planning. The Eastern Gateway district provides a new business core for the city, with well-connected buildings facing the Eco-zone and Suspended Forest. On the western edge, a mixed-use residential district will initially house athletes for the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics. Post-Games, the park will be adapted into a permanent intergenerational residential community, featuring a central public piazza with flexible spaces for outdoor exercise, food trucks, co-working, and cultural events, integrated with renovated historic train repair sheds.