Centro Direzionale di Milano
Encyclopedia
The Centro Direzionale di Milano is a business district (quartiere) in Milan
, Italy
, part of the Zone 9
administrative division. It is located north-west of the city centre, between the major railway stations of Milano Centrale and Milano Porta Garibaldi
. The district developed in the second half of the 20th century; its realization was planned by the city administration to relieve congestion in the city centre by moving business and tertiary activities in the new area. Coherently with this plan, the district is mainly occupied by modern office buildings, including several of Milan's skyscraper
s.
, although only some of the corresponding projects were actually implemented. The main transportation hub in the area is Porta Garibaldi railway station, with connection to the Milan Metro
, the suburban network
and national rail lines
.
Overall, the realization of the new district took place between 1955 and 1962, but was later suspended as a consequence of the lack of an actual regulation preventing tertiary activities to be established in the city centre.
For several years thereafter, the Centro Direzionale remained an heterogeneous and sparse area. Some skyscrapers were built (including the Pirelli Tower
, the Galfa Tower
, and the Servizi Tecnici Comunali Tower) but other areas remained undeveloped and fell in decay. A major example of the inconsistent use of urban areas in the district was the establishment of the Varesine "Luna Park" (now dismissed) amidst a supposedly office and financial district.
The development of the district was resumed in the early 21st century, when a completely new project was approved by the city authorities. Centro Direzionale is now a large working site, with several urban renewal works in progress. These include the realization of a large shopping mall devoted to fashion (nicknamed 'Città della Moda', Fashion City), residential blocks, new skyscrapers, and a large city park.
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, part of the Zone 9
Administrative divisions of Milan
The current administrative division of Milan, Italy comprises nine zones numbered from 1 to 9. The organization was established in 1997 and implemented in 1999; prior to that the city was divided in 20 administrative zones.-Zone council:Each zone has a local government called "Consiglio di Zona"...
administrative division. It is located north-west of the city centre, between the major railway stations of Milano Centrale and Milano Porta Garibaldi
Milano Porta Garibaldi railway station
Milano Porta Garibaldi is a major station in the Italian city of Milan, located just to the north of the neighbourhood known as Porta Garibaldi...
. The district developed in the second half of the 20th century; its realization was planned by the city administration to relieve congestion in the city centre by moving business and tertiary activities in the new area. Coherently with this plan, the district is mainly occupied by modern office buildings, including several of Milan's skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s.
History
The district was originally designed to accommodate office buildings for tertiary activities. A relevant part of the design effort focused on the realization of adequate infrastructures supporting heavy daily commuteCommuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
, although only some of the corresponding projects were actually implemented. The main transportation hub in the area is Porta Garibaldi railway station, with connection to the Milan Metro
Milan Metro
The Milan Metro is the rapid transit system serving Milan, Italy, operated by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi. Milan metro is the longest metro system in Italy, and is the core of the Milan Transportation System...
, the suburban network
Milan Suburban Railway Network
The Milan suburban railway network is a commuter rail system serving the metropolitan area of Milan, Italy.The system comprises 10 lines serving 100 stations, for a total length of 324 km....
and national rail lines
Rail transport in Italy
The Italian railway system is one of the most important infrastructure in the country, with a total length of . The network is recently growing with the construction of the new high speed rail network....
.
Overall, the realization of the new district took place between 1955 and 1962, but was later suspended as a consequence of the lack of an actual regulation preventing tertiary activities to be established in the city centre.
For several years thereafter, the Centro Direzionale remained an heterogeneous and sparse area. Some skyscrapers were built (including the Pirelli Tower
Pirelli Tower
The Pirelli Tower , is a skyscraper in Milan, Italy.-History:...
, the Galfa Tower
Galfa Tower
The Galfa Building or Galfa Tower is a skyscraper in Milan, Italy, located in the Centro Direzionale di Milano district, north of the city centre. It was designed by architect Melchiorre Bega in 1956 and completed in 1959...
, and the Servizi Tecnici Comunali Tower) but other areas remained undeveloped and fell in decay. A major example of the inconsistent use of urban areas in the district was the establishment of the Varesine "Luna Park" (now dismissed) amidst a supposedly office and financial district.
The development of the district was resumed in the early 21st century, when a completely new project was approved by the city authorities. Centro Direzionale is now a large working site, with several urban renewal works in progress. These include the realization of a large shopping mall devoted to fashion (nicknamed 'Città della Moda', Fashion City), residential blocks, new skyscrapers, and a large city park.