Bastioni Aperti: Milan's Plan to Pedestrianize Its Historic Spanish Walls

Bastioni Aperti is a proposal to pedestrianize Milan's ring of Spanish walls on Sunday mornings, creating space for walking, cycling, outdoor dancing, and public events. Developed by architect Chiara Quinzii of Quinzii Terna Architecture, the project is currently under review by the city's Active Mobility commission. It aims to reclaim urban space for slow, healthy mobility and community enjoyment, inspired by Bogotá's ciclovía, where 120 km of streets close to traffic every Sunday. The 12-km ring, served by 10 metro and railway stops, connects ten parks (including Parco Sempione, Giardini Indro Montanelli, Parco delle Basiliche) and landmarks such as Arco della Pace, Planetario, Rotonda Besana, Chiesa di San Francesco, and Fondazione Feltrinelli. The route follows the trace of 16th-century Spanish walls, later converted into hanging gardens by architect Giuseppe Piermarini in the 18th century, and reimagined as a green ring in Milan's 1884 city plan by Cesare Beruto, modeled on Vienna's Ringstrasse. The project proposes phased implementation, starting with a few Sundays per year, aiming for regular activation by 2026, the year of the Milan-Cortina Olympics. It seeks to stimulate active mobility activities (bike courses, races, repair workshops), proximity tourism (guided tours of monuments and green heritage), culture (music, small concerts), and local street food. The initiative also calls for improved urban furniture and pedestrian lighting along the ring.