Milan Pilot's Journey Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Heritage
As we close 2024, the HeritACT Milan pilot has achieved remarkable milestones, weaving together culture, sustainability, and inclusion into the ecosystem of Milan’s historical cascine. Guided by the principles of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) — beauty, sustainability, and inclusion — this year has thriven through the power of collaboration, community engagement, and innovative design.
The adventure began with a bodystorming session, a unique participatory exercise where participants used role-play to ideate and embody solutions for Milan’s cascine. Organised by Milano partners — Comune di Milano, LAND, Stefano Boeri Architetti, and THINGS — the event brought together stakeholders, including Cascina Linterno and CasciNet, to initiate the co-recognition phase, a phase consisting in gaining empathy with the stakeholders, understanding their motivations, wants and needs. Through walks, interviews, and shared stories, participants explored the current state of these heritage sites, fostering multidisciplinarity and collaboration for a greener and fairer future.
Spring brought with it a burst of energy and creativity as workshops invited the community to envision the cascine of 2030. Questions danced in the air: What could these spaces become? How might they tell their stories while fostering environmental, social, and cultural renewal? Participants imagined architectural transformations and narrative evolutions, sketching pathways that aligned the cascine with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The NEB principles resonated in every discussion, grounding futuristic opportunities in tangible action.
Summer carried the Milan team across borders to Glasgow. There, in the Pollok Stables and the treasure-filled halls of the Burrell Collection — one of the major museums in Glasgow that stages an exhibition of 9.000 objects from Chinese art, medieval treasures and paintings by renowned French artists—they reaffirmed the importance of designing with and for the community, leveraging digital technologies for accessibility, and bridging historical preservation with future innovation. These reflections provided fresh perspectives for Milan’s ongoing efforts, particularly in how heritage can strengthen local identity and foster a sense of belonging.
During the Milano Green Week in September the team organised the event “Due Cascine per Imparare” (Two Cascine to Learn), a workshop that brought stakeholders and community members together to dream, to connect, and to reimagine. Guided tours of Cascina Linterno and Cascina Sant’Ambrogio (CasciNet) revealed their hidden stories, while ecological scenarios painted visions of a sustainable future. Participants walked away not only with ideas but with a profound sense of belonging to something larger:a shared future powered by the commonalities around heritage.
Throughout the year, the cascine themselves stood as both anchors and beacons. Cascina Linterno, with its honey production, organic market, school visits, and cultural events, buzzed with activity and purpose. Cascina Sant’Ambrogio (CasciNet), a multifunctional space with vegetable cultivation, community gardens, a restaurant (agriristoro), yoga classes, and craft workshops,, showcased how heritage can meet the needs of a modern city while staying rooted in tradition. Both sites embodied the essence of inclusivity, ecological mindfulness, and cultural preservation.
The journey culminated at the Future4Cities Festival, where the Milan pilot took stage. The story of HeritACT was shared as a living blueprint for climate action. Partners spoke of co-creating solutions that empower communities, strengthen urban biodiversity, and fortify local identities. The festival wasn’t merely a showcase; it was a celebration of what can be achieved when heritage is embraced as a cornerstone of sustainable transformation.
The journey may have reached relevant milestones for 2024, but the seeds planted will undoubtedly grow into the HeritACT stories of the years to come.
