07/11/2024

During the 12th World Urban Forum / WUF12, BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, a project by Fondazione Riccardo Catella, was awarded the LivCom Award for SDGs, a prestigious international recognition promoted by the LivCom Committee — a non-profit organisation supported by the UN, several United Nations agencies and international organisations — and dedicated to best practices in environmental management and local development for the creation of smart, liveable and sustainable cities.

Selected from among 267 candidates from 53 countries, BAM, the only Italian project among the finalists, received the award in the Environmentally Sustainable Project Award category for its ability to create liveable communities as a public park with rich biodiversity and an innovative cultural programme, developed within a major regeneration project in the Portanuova district. In doing so, BAM represented the city of Milan among the most interesting best practices worldwide.

The criteria that guided the LivCom Award for SDGs jury in selecting the finalists included: the enhancement of landscapes and public spaces; the promotion of art, culture and cultural heritage; the adoption of practices aimed at protecting the environment and aligned with the goals of the green economy; community involvement, participation and empowerment; attention to citizens’ well-being; and the sustainability of the project’s planning and management policies.

“I express the pride of the city in seeing the excellence of BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, a project by Fondazione Riccardo Catella, recognised with such a prestigious award as the LivCom Award, which involved international initiatives from all over the world,” says Milan’s Deputy Mayor Anna Scavuzzo. “BAM is an open-air theatre for the city, with an innovative, high-quality cultural programme and a calendar of activities designed to bring well-being to citizens. The Municipality of Milan is committed to promoting urban policies that foster the liveability of our neighbourhoods, the psychophysical well-being of our citizens, and a culture that is increasingly widespread and accessible to everyone. It does so together with all the active organisations that work every day to fulfil this commitment: the important effort BAM is making turns Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano into a great ally of the Municipality in helping to make Milan an increasingly liveable and welcoming city, both for our citizens and for visitors.” — Anna Scavuzzo, Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Education of the Municipality of Milan

“This recognition once again confirms Fondazione Riccardo Catella’s strong commitment to the virtuous management of public green spaces and local development through projects aimed at improving citizens’ quality of life. We are honoured to be here in Cairo to receive an award that gives international recognition to the BAM project in Milan’s Portanuova district as a best practice in sustainable development, community activation and social inclusion.” — Kelly Russell Catella, General Manager of Fondazione Riccardo Catella, Head of Sustainability & Communications, COIMA

“It is a great honour to receive the LivCom Award for SDGs, among 267 candidates from 53 countries around the world. This prestigious international award is one I wish to share with all those who, together with us, believed in an innovative model capable of placing culture at the heart of urban regeneration and the creation of liveable communities. In particular, the Municipality of Milan, which has always stood by our side with the shared aim of promoting actions dedicated to citizens’ well-being; the many companies and institutions, which are essential to us and with whom we collaborate through careful co-design processes; the artists who accept the challenge of proposing content that interprets contemporary life; my team of professionals, who take care of every detail of the planning; and, last but not least, the vibrant communities that take part every day in the life of the park and in our cultural programme, giving meaning to this great collective effort.” — Francesca Colombo, General Cultural Manager of BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, Fondazione Riccardo Catella