After a decades of decline, Pirelli industries, a major car products company, closed most of its operations in a site of 750 000 sqm in Milan and decided to develop the site – the start of the Bicocca project. The greater momentum of transforming industrial urban areas across Europe at the time coinciding with a moment of change in the functioning of municipal government in Milan created an opportunity to test such an approach in the Italian context. The project was initiated as an integrated multifunctional and technological pole though changed later on to feature the creation of a new university campus for the University of Milan, Milano-Bicocca, as well as housing and company headquarters. Pirelli as the owner oft he site lead the whole process, the spatial design was mostly undertaken by architects Gregotti Associati following an international call for proposals. Apart from the university, established in 1998, other key features included an economical pole and research laboratories as a means of creating new employment opportunities as well as cultural the spaces of the Arcimboldi Theatre (2000), and the Hangar Bicocca opened as a contemporary arts space in 2004. Bicocca è association was established for proposing and coordinating local cultural initiatives, addressing the needs of residents, workers and students through a series of interviews with the residents. However, as the developers and the city council failed to encourage more participation from other local stakeholders, there has been marginal use of the services by the locals. Nonetheless, residential facilities have welcomed over 4000 new residents and the various services and activities attract more than 60000 people. Overall, the quality of life of the former industrial area improved, yet the residents are still waiting for more services to come. This highlights the relative absence of the municipality as a planning actor in the project and the failure to consider such a large development in terms of its integration and interrelation within the surrounding city.