When did you go?
We went there once. Looking back at my records it was in 2014. Hotel suggested us to check out that area when we asked whether there were any places we could go also? after we revisited the obligatory places, AND a side trip all the way to Padua, Venice and returned with a stop at Vicenza.
The 2014 trip was one of the several trips to beat the United Airlines first major devaluation of its miles as we were in Milan just 2 years before in 2012, AND 2011 too. The 2014 one was a more than a month trip with 2 major stopovers - first one at Seoul and second one at Milan, both with side trips during the long stopovers. Seoul to Tokyo and back, Milan all the way to Venice and back. The only way to return to N. America from Milan was 13 days after arrival, fly to Toronto via Istanbul. Hence even with a long side trip from Milan, at the end we still totally ran out of ideas on what to do at Milan.
The hotel staff weren't any enthusiatic when they suggested we could check out the canal area.
At the time it wasn't anywhere close to what shown in your pictures. At that time there were a few art galleries, a few eateries, a couple wooden platforms jutting out above the water - may be for bands or performers? The whole place had no appeal at all. It looks like Milan city government really has done a great job to transform the place.
Camden in London has similar setting. It is a portion of Regent Canal, with locks in that section. There are hopping night life but there are also residental neighborhoods along the canal that you can have a nice stroll, unlike the one in Milan or Copenhagen.
