MILANO, ITALY Milan: Building Contexts

Milan arguably exemplifies several elements of modern urban and architectural vicissitudes. The natural, social, cultural, and economic environment — as well as the dramatic historical events of the 20th century — has promoted the implementation, even an experimental one, of ideas whose span stretches from the second half of the 19th century through the end of the 20th. This work suggests some key elements that describe the city. To describe a city entails not only looking at the modern city, but also taking into account its history. When approaching the city from this perspective, any interpretation becomes potentially meaningful. A number of views have already been provided through various mapping, research, and design initiatives, some of which are also included in this project. The views of the city depicted in this project offer an approach to the city as the symbolic embodiment of “modernity.” Despite its seeming uniformity, there is a multi-layered complexity to Milan. Because of this, it is a great city for experimenting with techniques in describing how a city arises from the continuous overlapping and juxtaposition of its various fragments. At the same time, it is worth examining in what ways the processes by which these various elements that make up Milan have differed from the urban planning and development projects that approach the city as a single entity.