Cities in Cities is a research programme (by appointment of the municipality of Milan) on the transformation and reuse of public slaughterhouses and urban markets in Europe during the XX. and XXI. century. Over 50 cases all over Europe have been analyzed in regard to their physical quality (as in fact examples of ‘urban interiors’) as well as their social quality (as open services of a new generation, able to trigger processes of social integration). This analysis was carried out by considering the geographic location, their collocation inside the urban fabric, the size, as well as the temporal dimension of each single intervention.

The case-study was combined with a critical analysis of the architectural and urban strategies applied in each case, as well as with a phenomenological description of the effects produced by their implementation. Special focus was put thereby on spatial, programmatic as well as typological conditions and effects.

The case study covered interventions smaller than 3 ha in size up to interventions larger than 30 ha. It covered projects, which completely replaced the preexisting area as well as projects, which redeveloped existing elements in part or completely. The research concluded with the definition of a set of design strategies, that includes design strategies from the field of interior, architectural, urban and landscape design.