Milan City Council: we will reach a total of 100 air-conditioned nurseries (40 per cent)

In Milan, the severe heatwave has also taken its toll on nurseries and crèches, with unbearable temperatures in the classrooms leading to protests from parents and a petition calling on the local council to take action.

At the end of May, Palazzo Marino launched an extraordinary programme to inspect all facilities across all 270 nurseries and kindergartens in the city, “to get a snapshot of the current situation,” explained the Councillor for Public Spaces and School Buildings Marco Mazzei; “this inspection will be completed by mid-July and by the end of the month we will have a complete picture”.

“Between this year and next year we will add a further ten fixed air-conditioning systems to the 25 we already have, and in 2027–2028 we will install a further 15 fixed systems,” he explained. “With new funding to be identified in the forthcoming budget adjustment, we will reach a total of around 100 air-conditioned facilities in the coming years.”

Then there are the emergency measures that are currently being implemented. “To date, we have 609 portable air conditioners – 400 more than last year – 1,817 fans – 57 more than last year – 368 parasols – 111 more than last year – and 339 gazebos,” said the councillor, who pointed out that nursery and crèche facilities were built between the post-war period and the 1980s, at a time when temperatures were different from today’s, with heatwaves becoming increasingly prolonged.

Once the site survey of the premises is complete, at the end of July, we will have a clear picture of which premises can have portable air-conditioners installed in several units; in others, the meter capacity will need to be increased; then there are the two more complicated scenarios. One where the electrical system needs to be upgraded, and one where it needs to be completely re-wired, “but re-wiring the electrical systems means the premises will have to be closed for over 20 days”.