Bam, Milan project shows the way to an ESG urban development

There is an open-air theatre in the heart of Milan, showing how urban redevelopment is good for the environment and not only. It is the Bam - Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano (Library of Trees Milan) project, which from 2019 will colour the Portanuova district with greenery, going beyond the concept of a simple park: an engine of social and environmental impact, it combines biodiversity and culture through programmes full of events open to citizens. This new way of conceiving public spaces, born out of a public-private partnership between the City of Milan, the Riccardo Catella Foundation and Coima, has led the district to be the first in the world to obtain the double Leed and Well for Community certification.

Not only: during the 12th World Urban Forum held in Cairo, Bam was proclaimed winner of the LivCom Award for SDGs, an international award promoted by the LivCom Committee (a non-profit organisation supported by the UN) and dedicated to "best practices in environmental management and local development for the creation of smart, liveable and sustainable cities". The only Italian project among the finalists, it was awarded in the Environmentally Sustainable Project Award category.

Among the selection criteria assessed by the jury were ESG standards: the integration of culture and environment was considered an important driver for promoting an active and inclusive community. In this way, the park offers an example of how urban regeneration can contribute to improving the quality of life, emphasising the role of green spaces as fundamental to the resilience of cities.

Francesca Colombo, Bam's general cultural director, expressed her desire to share the award with the City of Milan, the companies, institutions and communities that worked on the project and that 'believed in an innovative model capable of putting culture at the centre of urban regeneration and the creation of liveable communities'.

"This award reconfirms once again the great commitment of the Riccardo Catella Foundation in the virtuous management of public green space and the development of the territory with the activation of projects aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens". Kelly Russell Catella, managing director of the Riccardo Catella Foundation and head of sustainability & communications at Coima, commented on winning the award as follows. "We are honoured to be here in Cairo to collect an award that internationally accredits Bam's project in Milan's Portanuova neighbourhood as a best practice in sustainable development, community activation and social inclusion."