Renzo Piano Reimagines the Suburbs

ENLARGE

An exclusive glimpse at Renzo Piano’s G124 project in Giambellino, a suburb of Milan. Illustration: Renzo Piano Studio

“For too long, growth has meant unsustainable expansion—moving people further and further away from one another. What we’re doing instead is growth by implosion, transforming the suburbs through what’s already there through public transportation, shared spaces, urbanity. ‘Urbanity’ means more than life in the city; it also means courteous, neighborly behavior. It’s the art of staying together, sharing values and civic pride.

Renzo Piano is a Pritzker Prize-winning architect.

Last year, in Giambellino, a 6,000-person suburb of Milan, we mended walkways, tore down walls and created a new courtyard where the citizens gather for film screenings, community gardening and multi-ethnic, family-style dinners. For immigrants and their children, a woman teaches Italian at 4 o’clock every day. When you have people coming together, the problems of diversity disappear and instead diversity becomes a great opportunity of exchange.”

This interview has been condensed and edited.