In 2026, Milan will host the XXV Olympic Winter Games, with Cortina d'Ampezzo and other mountainous locations in Lombardia, Veneto, and Trentino Alto – Adige/ Südtirol. According to the International Olympic Committee, it will be the most sustainable Winter Olympics ever, as starting from 2024 the Olympic Games are required to pursue carbon neutrality, setting increasingly ambitious targets each year[1]. The sustainability debate surrounding the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic is differently discussed based on the geographical area. Indeed, while in Milano this debate receives less attention and the Olympic transformation is more integrated into the ongoing urban transformation, in the mountainous venues the debate is considered as a hot topic. This is due to the higher impact on the environment, therefore the debate is particularly scrutinized from the public sphere. In this time one of the hot topic of Milan is the right to the city and sustainable living for students and young workers.

This contribution aims to investigate the theme of sustainability in living and Real Estate connected to the Olympic Games and its benefits, or presumed ones, that will accompany the construction of the new Olympic village. The Olympic village will be built in the former railway yard of Porta Romana, and after the Olympic Games it is expected to become a student dormitory. This will meet the strong demand of students' and workers' accommodations currently present in Milan[2]. The primary objective is to explore how the new Olympic Village in Milan, supported by important real estate operators, designed to become sustainable and insert into a rapidly changing district (Fernandez-Ges 2023), aligns with the social, economic, and environmental sustainability objectives supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and with the Right to the City.

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