Urban Demonstration Site
Milan . Italy
23.000 sq.km
Extension of the demonstration area
3
Number of buildings
600
Population
38%
% of people > 64y
Milan is one of the cities in EU Mission’s Net-Zero Cities initiative. The Giambellino-Lorenteggio neighbourhood in Milan is a semi-central district currently under regeneration. The total size of the demo site is 23.000 sq.m, and its direct area of influence (nearby neighbourhood) is around 1,9 sq.km.
More than 50,000 people live in the Giambellino and Lorenteggio districts, and over 25% are foreigners. These districts were built in the 1920s, and until the 1970s most of the inhabitants were workers of the factories located along the Naviglio river. There are about 2,600 public housing units in the area, mainly in precarious conditions, which are owned by the Municipality of Milan and by Aler (the regional public housing management company).
Main partners
REGENERATION ACTIONS
These actions currently reflect each neighbourhood’s goals, but remain indicative and may be adjusted if unexpected constraints arise.
Deploy NRO to co-create the sustainable future of Giambellino-Lorenteggio neighbourhood together with citizens and local stakeholders
The Milano NRO is a two-phase, inclusive hub designed to engage citizens and stakeholders in sustainable living and social cohesion—starting as a pop- up in community spaces in 2026 and evolving into a permanent, multifunctional center in 2027.
INTERVENTIONS EMPLOYED BY THIS ACTION:
• N49. Neighbourhood Regeneration Office
• N10. Educate citizens on their energy use to facilitate energy savings in buildings
• N28 Manage mobility behaviour (pedestrian, motorized, transportation…) to address the carrying capacity and human traffic
• N34. Promote and awareness raising of reuse and recycling in infrastructures and construction
• N41. Implement urban interventions to reduce heat islands and reduce energy needs.
EXPLANATION OF THE ACTION:
The Neighbourhood Regeneration Office (NRO) in Giambellino-Lorenteggio is conceived as a multifunctional hub to foster sustainable urban living, social cohesion, and active citizenship.
Unlike traditional energy-focused helpdesks, the Milan NRO adopts a holistic approach, addressing lifestyle behaviours, social inclusion, and access to services alongside building renovation and energy efficiency.
The NRO will operate in two phases: a pop-up model in 2026 across community spaces (oratory, library, market) to overcome cultural fragmentation and ensure inclusivity, followed by a permanent location in 2027. This evolution reflects extensive preparatory work and aims to avoid exclusive or self-referential initiatives by embedding the NRO deeply into the neighbourhood fabric.
Energy performance evaluation of current building stock and progressive renovation at neighbourhood scale
This action involves the energy performance assessment of the existing building stock in the Giambellino-Lorenteggio neighbourhood.
INTERVENTIONS EMPLOYED BY THIS ACTION:
• N11. Performing Energy Analysis and modelling (using IES tool) to improve energy savings
EXPLANATION OF THE ACTION:
This action consists of defining virtual energy renovation scenarios for the Milan municipality’s building stock, combined with advanced dynamic simulation through the IES-VE modelling environment. The scenarios are developed to represent the step-by-step decarbonisation targets set by EU and local regulations, including the achievement of zero-emission buildings by 2050.
The scenarios progressively include a combination of:
• Active strategies: heating/cooling system upgrades, high-temperature heat pumps, photovoltaic installations, advanced BACS and climate control
• Passive strategies: thermal envelope improvements such as roofs, windows, and selective ETICS application (20% of renovated buildings, excluding pre-1945 assets). Simulation results will support the municipality in selecting
renovation pathways that maximise:
✔ energy savings
✔ emissions reduction
✔ integration with other infrastructure plans (e-mobility, district heating).
These results form the basis for prioritising interventions in full alignment with:
• Milan’s Piano Aria Clima.
• Milan’s Climate City Contract.
• EU EPBD requirements and zero-emissions target for 2050.
Settlement Support Program for New Residents in Via Giaggioli new Social Housing
The action consists of a Settlement Support Program for new residents in Via Giaggioli’s NZEB social housing, providing technical guidance on energy- efficient living and fostering social integration through workshops, guided tours, and community-building activities coordinated by the NRO.
INTERVENTIONS EMPLOYED BY THIS ACTION:
• N10. Educate citizens on their energy use to facilitate energy savings in buildings
• N34. Promote and awareness raising of reuse and recycling in infrastructures and construction
EXPLANATION OF THE ACTION:
This action aims to support new residents moving into the rebuilt social housing buildings in Via Giaggioli, which have been reconstructed with innovative techniques NZEB – Nearly Zero Energy Building.
The program will help residents understand the advanced features of their homes, optimize energy performance, and adopt sustainable practices. Beyond technical guidance, the program fosters social integration by connecting residents with the Giambellino-Lorenteggio community and the REGEN stakeholder network, ensuring that these new homes become vibrant, inclusive spaces.
Engaging Citizens in Sustainability and Everyday Lifestyle Choices
The action aims to foster inclusive urban regeneration in Giambellino- Lorenteggio by engaging residents in sustainable behaviors, co-creation activities, and participatory experiments, leveraging local knowledge, Living Labs, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
INTERVENTIONS EMPLOYED BY THIS ACTION:
• N10. Educate citizens on their energy use to facilitate energy savings in buildings
• N28. Manage mobility behaviour (pedestrian, motorized, transportation…) to address the carrying capacity and human traffic
• N34. Promote and awareness raising of reuse and recycling in infrastructures and construction
• N41. Implement urban interventions to reduce heat islands and reduce energy needs.
EXPLANATION OF THE ACTION:
This action aims to empower residents of Giambellino-Lorenteggio to integrate sustainability into their daily lives through accessible, engaging formats. Implemented within the Neighbourhood Regeneration Office (NRO) framework, the initiative focuses on awareness, education, and active participation.
The program is structured around four thematic pathways:
• Climate Risk & Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)
• Decarbonisation & Energy Scenarios
• Circular Economy, Waste Management and Textile Reuse
• Mobility & Behavioural Change
Activities will include:
• Interactive workshops and co-design sessions to make neighbourhood regeneration practical and relatable.
• Citizen science initiatives for data collection on energy use, mobility patterns, and climate impacts.
• Storytelling campaigns to share real-life examples and inspire behavioural change.
By making technical concepts clear and actionable, the NRO will foster informed decision-making and collective responsibility.
Circular Management of Buildings and Urban Open Spaces for Climate Adaptation
This action consists of conducting scalable and replicable analyses that support public administrations in managing their building stock and public spaces according to circular economy principles, clean construction approaches, and climate-adaptation strategies.
INTERVENTIONS EMPLOYED BY THIS ACTION:
• N35 – Conceive modular buildings according to Circular Economy principles.
• N36 – Deconstruct existing buildings by increasing reuse and high- value recycling and reducing backfilling and waste.
• N41 – Implement urban interventions to reduce heat islands and reduce energy needs.
• N34 – Promote and awareness raising of reuse and recycling in infrastructures and construction
EXPLANATION OF THE ACTION:
The objective of this Action is to test digital tools capable of supporting public decision-making in the management of building assets and public spaces through sustainability-driven and climate-adaptation-oriented approaches.
The proposed methodology is developed at a detailed scale — specifically at the level of individual buildings and open areas — and is designed to be progressively scaled up toward more comprehensive, urban-scale applications.
The Action adopts an integrated approach that combines circular construction principles, resilient built environments, nature-based solutions, and clean construction strategies.
For building management, the analysis focuses on three key phases of the building life cycle: design, maintenance, and demolition/deconstruction.
While the open space applies the principles of nature base solutions to enhance climate adaptation. The overall action is structured through the following four sub-actions.
1) Design of New Buildings
This sub-action involves the development of a methodology to assess the transformation capacity of a building, understood as its ability to shift from one functional use to another. This approach supports both the evaluation of the adaptability of existing buildings and the design of new structures based on circularity criteria, modularity, and long-term resilience.
2) Maintenance of existing buildings
For the management of the existing building stock, this activity focuses on defining predictive and planned maintenance strategies based on the actual condition of each building. The objective is to minimize economic resources and material consumption while maximising long-term performance and service life.
3) Demolition of old buildings
For buildings where demolition is unavoidable, the Action aims to develop digital methods for quantifying materials that can be recovered, reused, or recycled with high added value. This supports circular supply chains, significantly reduces waste production, and minimizes disposal impacts.
4) Nature base solution for open Spaces
The Action also addresses public space management. The objective is to develop methodologies for the design and transformation of green areas that maximize decarbonization potential, improve microclimatic conditions, enhance biodiversity, and strengthen climate-adaptation capacities.
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Contact
Sylvain Kubicki
REGEN Coordinator, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
sylvain.kubicki@list.lu
Coralie Vella
DEC Manager of REGEN project, R2M Solution
coralie.vella@r2msolution.com