Mayor Sala: "Milan, a model for all of Italy"

“The approved project that gave me the most satisfaction? The conversion of the former railway yards, which will give a new face to the city. But my dream is to reopen the Navigli”. It's a beppe room in love with the history of his Milan but projected into the future the one who comments with FIRSTonline on some of the themes addressed in his latest book, "Milan and the century of cities", published by La Nave di Teseo and in which the mayor of the Italian economic capital retraces stages of his personal and political history. From the Expo to the Medicines Agency, from the role that big cities play in the era of globalization to French President Macron, who could become a new political model: "Its orientation is not yet clear, even if it balances well between right and left".

Mayor Sala, in the book, as on many other occasions, you did not hesitate to speak of the "Milan model": do you believe that the success of your city can be exported nationwide? You also argue that "Milan doesn't have time to wait for politics, if politics doesn't respect its times", and that the city will grow even if Italy doesn't do the same. It's really like this?

“One of the refrains I hear most often is the one that reads: “Milan is the locomotive of Italy”. Unfortunately this declaration risks remaining an end in itself, because the locomotive drags the wagons at the same speed and that is not what is happening. Therefore, what I ask is to give Milan the opportunity to have the best experiences and support it so that it can pass them on to all of Italy. Our city is experiencing a particularly lively and proactive period, because each of its components – institutions, industry, civil society, the third sector – does its best part. Now, we will always need the Government on some issues. But that doesn't mean that Milan, open to Europe and to the world, can go ahead on its own, as the country's operational guide”.

The "century of cities", the title of the book, is a quote from the former mayor of New York Bloomberg. You argue that cities are "the most suitable places to address the major issues of the future and to guide the quality of life on the planet". Isn't that a bit of a paradox in times of globalisation?

“It is not, if we consider that 50 percent of the world's population already lives in cities today and that, by 2050, this percentage could grow to 75 percent. This means two things. The first is that it must be noted that most of the financial, technological, cultural and human resources are concentrated in the cities; the second is that this presence of resources opens up challenges in the environmental, social and economic spheres that concern all cities, in equal measure even if each maintains its own territorial specificity. For this reason, it is necessary to appeal more and more to local responsibility, to guide global action”.

In Italy, by virtue of a different electoral system, cities also have the advantage of being more controllable than the country itself. In this sense, you say you envy the French model and the election of Macron. How do you evaluate the first year of the French president's mandate? Do you think it is a political model to draw inspiration from?

“I didn't say that I envied the French electoral model, but I think Italy needs a system (like the French one, but not necessarily that one) that puts a political leader in a position to really govern. Macron's first year was very appreciable, above all for his determination and leadership skills. Perhaps the general orientation of his politics is not yet very clear, even if he often seems to deliberately balance between right and left ”.

After Expo, Porta Nuova, the Navigli and CityLife, the new major urban challenge of Milan is that of the former railway yards. Will they also become an immense commercial space, like the current large stations and CityLife itself, or are there different ideas?

“On the former railway yards, a program agreement was signed and approved by the City Council which speaks very clearly. For example, 65 percent of the more than one million square meters of the total area - or 675 square meters - will be left green; at least 30 percent of the total volumes will be used for social housing and special agreements, with 3.400 lodgings for the weakest social groups. For "non-residential" buildings - offices, commerce, manufacturing, logistics, etc - more than 32 percent of the total volumes will be available, but with the ban on building shopping centers and large sales structures".

On more than one occasion in the book you criticize the myth of happy decline, specifying however that the time for unbridled development is also over. So is the future somewhere in between? Which?

“The future lies in the responsibility of understanding that, today, we need to combine the reasons for growth with the concrete challenges of everyday life. A responsibility that cities, to a large extent, are already taking on”.

According to scientists, global warming opens up to apocalyptic scenarios by the end of the century. What can Italy and above all Milan do on this issue, which despite all the efforts made, from Area C to shared mobility, public transport and the care of urban greenery, continues to be in the collective imagination - and in fact - the city of smog? When will he be able to shake off this reputation?

“Milan is dealing very seriously with this issue. Given that the city is located on a level with relative difficulty in recirculating the air – on which we cannot intervene -, we have launched a series of initiatives aimed at improving the quality of the air we breathe. I am thinking of the commitments made within the international network of C40 cities - regarding the identification of an area with low environmental impact in which vehicles powered by fossil fuels do not circulate and the purchase of only electric buses for the public transport service - ; just as I am thinking of the increasingly massive diffusion of bike and car sharing services, the strengthening of the underground lines (and with this I remind you that we are working on the extension of the existing lines as well as on the construction of new underground and tram lines, to serve an area increasingly large) as well as the energy efficiency of public and private buildings, starting with incentives for changing boilers”.

You have recently filed an appeal for the assignment of the European Medicines Agency, won by Amsterdam in the draw: what chances does Milan have of bringing it back home?

“I think it will be difficult to win the appeal but we had to try, to the end. The dossier presented by Milan was and is of quality: it had all the potential to win. This is why I felt it was our duty to make our voices heard. We must push for it to be ascertained that there are the conditions for an effective immediate operation of EMA in Amsterdam. If not, it would be very serious. Because the EMA decides which medicines can be administered and which ones must be withdrawn throughout Europe. The question that opens up is yes political, but also a public health problem ”.

If you had to choose a challenge among those won so far as Mayor, which one do you feel most fond of? And which one would you like to win next?

“Among the objectives achieved, an important place is held by the program agreement on the former airports: it will contribute to giving the city a new face. I would also like to win the challenge of mobility, for the reasons explained above, and that of the redevelopment of the suburbs. Furthermore, I do not deny the desire to see the Navigli reopened ".