Green infrastructure planning and balanced territorial development: Insights from Milan Rural Metropolis

Rapid urbanisation trends have significantly diminished, degraded, and fragmented greenspaces, threatening biodiversity and landscape sustainability in and around cities. This study provides comprehensive insights into green infrastructure (GI) planning through an in-depth analysis of territorial transformation, using Milan as a case study of confronting urban sprawl. It emphasises balanced territorial development, widely practiced promoting regional GI and socio-ecological sustainability, meeting key EU policies. Despite existing studies on GI implementation, knowledge gaps remain in planning frameworks, stakeholder participation, funding, and political interference. The research examines ambitious GI interventions and mechanisms in Milan using an integrative literature review with critical analysis and synthesis to produce a long-term multifaceted territorial evaluation of Milan's GI planning. The findings interpret how GI formation is facilitated through rural-urban linkages, agricultural heritage practices, and robust socio-political interactions among public and private stakeholders. They reveal that GI planning extends beyond jurisdictions, across levels and sectors, thereby enhancing ecosystem services and socio-ecological values. The insights can inform future GI planning research and practice in metropolitan regions, highlighting democratic multi-actor partnerships, multi-scale planning, and balanced territorial development. • GI planning can be implemented using a balanced territorial development perspective. • Integrating agriculture into GI planning maximises efficiency of ecosystem services. • Regional GI planning requires public-private partnerships with pluralist democracy. • Context-based awareness of GI values boosts connectivity and supportive engagements.