Cascina Merlata: Milan’s Overlooked Suburb Poised for Transformation with Pending Rezoning

Cascina Merlata, on Milan’s northwest edge, is quietly edging toward a dramatic shift. Milan City Council is expected to vote later this month on rezoning the area’s core blocks—an administrative move that could trigger a flood of investment and reshape a part of the city long overshadowed by flashier neighbours.

The upzoning push comes as Milan faces major pressures in both residential and logistics sectors. With the average citywide property price exceeding €5,000 per square metre and near-daily headlines of record heatwaves from Paris to Pavia, increasing numbers of developers—and would-be homeowners—are eyeing formerly neglected peripheries. The timing is crucial. Milan’s recent rush of capital into Brera and Porta Nuova has left many locals priced out, and city planners are under pressure to find new answers ahead of the autumn policy review.

From Expo Backwater to Next Investment Junction

Cascina Merlata is no blank slate. The district stretches from Via Gallarate to the boundary with Baranzate, bordered by the A4 autostrada and a growing commercial cluster around Fiera Milano. It’s perhaps best known for sheltering ‘Social Village Cascina Merlata’—the city-sponsored affordable housing campus built during Expo 2015—which raised the area’s profile but didn’t immediately deliver further growth. Steps from the flagship Scuole Multilingue Milano and within cycling distance of Mind Innovation District, the suburb has lingered in limbo as plans for expansion sputtered.

That’s changing. New zoning, if approved by the planning commission at Palazzo Marino, would formally reclassify 37 hectares between Via Pier Paolo Pasolini and Viale Certosa from industrial-to-mixed-use status. Local analysts expect this to unlock nearly 2,200 new residential units and 48,000 square metres of commercial space over the next five years. Current listings suggest values at €3,100-€3,400 per square metre—well below Milan’s average, and just a fraction of what’s commanded in nearby CityLife.

Data Points and Market Mood

The numbers bear out a shifting mood. According to Immobiliare Insights, Cascina Merlata posted a 13% year-on-year uptick in purchase enquiries in Q2 2026, outperforming Nolo and even the heavily marketed Navigli district. Data from Agenzia delle Entrate shows just 29 property transactions in the neighbourhood during the same period—a sign investors may be waiting for the zoning decision to move before making larger bets. Retailers and services are circling as well; supermarket chain Esselunga confirmed two weeks ago it has secured permits for a new flagship on Via Daimler, conditional on the rezoning’s approval.

The coming weeks could prove pivotal. City council officials indicate the decision is bundled with a larger review that will also affect parts of San Siro and Lambrate, potentially attracting further speculative attention. For buyers and small investors, the current price mismatch presents an unusual window—at least until shovels hit the ground and word gets out.

For now, Cascina Merlata’s future hangs on a handful of signatures at Palazzo Marino. Should the rezoning pass, property hunters may find that Milan’s best values are no longer in its storied centre, but on the edges where old boundaries are about to move.