L'Innesto is an innovative urban regeneration project transforming the former Scalo Greco-Breda freight terminal in northeast Milan into Italy's first carbon-neutral social housing district. Developed by REDO SGR (also known as ReDo Sgr or Fondo Immobiliare Lombardia managed by InvestiRE SGR) in partnership with Fondazione Housing Sociale, the project won the 2019 C40 Reinventing Cities international competition for sustainable urban redevelopment. It emphasizes environmental sustainability, affordability, and community integration over a 30-year lifecycle to achieve zero CO2 emissions balance.
The masterplan and architecture were designed by the renowned Italian firm Barreca & La Varra, in collaboration with experts like Arup Italia for environmental and urban design, Stantec for site remediation, and others including Starching for BIM management. Spanning about 62,000 square meters, it will deliver around 400 affordable apartments—60% for subsidized rental and 40% for sale—plus 300 student housing beds managed by In-Domus. Key features include a fourth-generation district heating network powered by renewables like urban wastewater, hybrid timber construction for disassembly and recycling, bioremediation of soil, and urban forestry covering 72% of the area in green spaces such as gardens, orchards, and a broader agricultural park.
A central "Human Adaptive Zone" fosters collaborative living through shared multifunctional spaces like community kitchens, labs, a circular economy district, food hub, zero-waste store, and welfare services open to residents and nearby neighborhoods. This promotes active mobility with pedestrian and cycling paths linking to Bicocca University and Precotto, limited car parking (100 spaces for 700 units), extensive bike facilities, and electric charging. Construction was slated to begin in 2023, redefining Milanese suburbs with inclusive, resilient urban models that reconnect fragmented areas via green corridors like Viale dei Gelsi.