Bioclimatic regeneration of an industrial urban fringe

Milan’s East Fringe can be divided roughly into four main areas. In the middle, in a perpendicular line from the city center, the Forlanini-Taliedo neighborhood, between via Forlanini and via Bonfadini, can be identified in satellite images by a group of light-colored industrial rooftops. Among its most relevant problems are higher superficial temperatures in the central industrial area compared to the surrounding residential blocks, as reported in the Landsat 2008 raster image dataset that is available for download in Comune di Milano’s Geoportale. Old industrial areas (this urban industrial core dates from 1915) are usually heavily paved and densely occupied, leaving no space for trees and vegetation. The tall, brick facades and metal roof coverings absorb heat, and the few existing narrow alleys do not allow the wind to circulate and the heat to disperse. In this seemingly dead industrial territory, a bioclimatic strategy …