“Half of Milan’s 1.35 million residents are now within walking distance of new public space, much of it reclaimed from cars through the swift and judicious placement of planters and the bold and expansive application of paint, an easily reversible city makeover technique known as ‘tactical urbanism.’ […] In April 2020, Milan started its Strade Aperte “open streets” program of lacing protected cycling infrastructure on main roads creating 42 miles of pop-up cycleways, many of which have been made permanent. The first three squares of the Piazza Aperte program were created on car-dominated neighborhoods on the city’s outskirts. Benches and planters took the place of street parking, and large swathes of dull asphalt were painted with bright patterns." (full article)