Project definition
An overall concept has been developed for the Naviglio Grande project area and supported by draft proposals for specific areas of focus.
Concept and areas of focus starting from a general outline and the setting of goals, the concept was developed in a scale of 1:10,000 - 1:20,000.

During the project, the following questions had to be answered:

• How can the improvement of the Naviglio Grande be used for leisure time and relaxation / nature-based tourism?
• How can other demands on space be taken into account, such as from agriculture, nature protection or energy generation?
• How can the interests of the local communities and relevant stakeholders be incorporated?
• Which thematical or spatial foci does the Naviglio Grande offer? How far does a differentiation make sense?

Based on the overall concept, an initial project was set up for a choice of three areas of focus situated in different landscapes.

• naviglio and nature, in between the Ticino valley and the high dry plain landscape units
• naviglio and the cultural landscape (and infrastructure) inside the high water plain
• urban conurbation, inside the middle water plain urbanized area

Design proposals were developed in the areas of focus. Their aim was to demonstrate the core message of the concept and to encourage the relevant stakeholders to support the implementation of the project. The areas of focus have been expressly chosen in different areas in order to prove by means of concrete design proposals - the spatial and functional efficiency of the model which has been developed. The three areas of focus were more closely looked at in a scale of 1:500/1:1,000. The following questions had to be answered in the design proposals for the areas of focus:
What importance does the new design have for the overall area of the Naviglio Grande?

• How does the spatial integration into the overall concept work?
• What is the importance of connecting paths and roads?
• Which sequences of space are created?
• Are necessary hierarchies of functions and space created?
• What makes the draft readable in the overall concept?
• What is specific about the newly designed landscape?
• Which innovations does the draft offer?
• How sustainable is the design proposal for the future development of the Naviglio Grande?
• What differentiates the design concept and the draft from other concepts with comparable landscapes?