New Vision for Segrate, Milan: the Green Kilometre
The Green Kilometre (Chilometro Verde) project will change the face of Segrate: less asphalt, new green spaces, safe cycle and pedestrian paths immersed in nature, knitting together the urban and social fabric.
The City of Segrate entrusted West 8 team with their vision to transform the 3 km long Via Cassanese from heavy road infrastructure into a ‘Spina Verde’ (Green Spine) for the city. The team’s design revitalizes the character of the street with a system of greenery and public spaces that reconnect the urban fabric, reduce emissions and promote safe and green mobility.
A new chapter in the city’s history: Chilometro Verde not only presents a physical transformation of the road, but poses a unique opportunity to reshape the heart of the Segrate community. not just a means of transit, the Chilometro Verde creates a vibrant and inclusive link in the urban fabric where soft mobility and greenery are intertwined.
The design sees 60% of the current infrastructure replaced by a green corridor, and a 3 km cycle-pedestrian path. 1,200 new trees will be planted along the new route, which will not only provide environmental benefits, but will also help improve air quality, provide shade and support local biodiversity.
Segrate is crossed from east to west by the Cassanese, a 3.3-kilometre road that fractures the urban and social fabric of the town. The Cassanese is a physical barrier that has caused a rupture in relationships between neighbourhoods over the years, preventing people from using certain services and coming together. The current construction of the new Cassanese Bis will effectively downgrade the urban section of the former provincial road, activating measures to reconnect the urban fabric, which are included in the ambitious Green Kilometre project.
The project was presented to citizens last week in a public meeting by the Mayor and several representatives of the Segrate Municipality. West8 presented the vision of the project, while MIC-HUB presented the mobility vision.
West 8 led the landscape design, in collaboration with Brescia-based landscape architect, Elena Stevanato and mobility and transportation specialist, MIC HUB. The first phase of the design was sponsored by Ambrostore and Westfield.