Giacomo De Amicis: Sport centers as urban regeneration catalysts

Architect Giacomo De Amicis, founder of De Amicis Architetti (2005), has released "Deascourse – Issue 01: Metamorfosi urbana dei centri sportivi" (October 2025), the inaugural volume of the Deascourse series. The publication maps and analyzes Milan's 136 municipally owned sports facilities, which together cover an area comparable to the Navigli canal ring. De Amicis argues these sites are underutilized, obsolete, and lack a systemic vision, but hold high potential for urban regeneration. He proposes transforming them into civic hubs—"secular oratories"—through three principles: densifying activities to serve all ages and classes throughout the day, breaking down fences to integrate them with the urban fabric, and diversifying functions to generate economic support for less profitable sports. Historical references include Brazilian SESC units, Anglo-Saxon community centers (e.g., Santo Amaro in São Paulo, New Generation Youth and Community Centre in London), and the Enjoy center in Cernusco sul Naviglio. De Amicis criticizes past concession systems that left structures decaying, but notes growing awareness in Milan's administration and among concessionaires. He sees the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics as a potential accelerator for systemic recovery of existing assets, emphasizing small-to-medium neighborhood facilities over large event-driven projects.