Coin's Edge

Between city and suburb, past and present, permanence and movement, Pero blends into Milan’s western metropolitan edge while holding onto a layered identity. A diverse population shaped by migration and affordability makes it a place where many paths cross, even if few truly stop.

Longtime residents walk alongside newcomers searching for space or opportunity. Industrial buildings stand beside residential blocks, while cars, cyclists, and commuters negotiate narrow streets with little room to pause. Green public space is scarce, yet daily life continues through routines of departure and return.

Once a medieval agricultural settlement, Pero was transformed by industrialisation and post-war housing expansion. Built quickly and economically, much of its architecture reflects function over form. The project seeks to understand a quietly peripheral but deeply connected place where differences coexist, overlap, and persist.