{"title":"Filling the void: Urban regeneration and contested space in Milan's Loreto Square","authors":"Paolo Grassi","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12939","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Since 2015, Milan has experienced significant growth, driven by mega-events and large urban regeneration projects. This development has not eliminated certain contradictions however, with social polarization in Milan increasing even after the pandemic. This article analyzes the redevelopment of a key Milan landmark, Loreto Square, from an anthropological perspective. While the project rhetoric emphasizes creating a new green and sustainable area, it also reveals opposing urban strategies based on the privatization of public space and land rent. The article concludes by highlighting the central role of spaces characterized by institutions as ‘urban voids’ in shaping the identity of contemporary cities.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"41 1","pages":"15-19"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Anthropology Today","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8322.12939","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ANTHROPOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Since 2015, Milan has experienced significant growth, driven by mega-events and large urban regeneration projects. This development has not eliminated certain contradictions however, with social polarization in Milan increasing even after the pandemic. This article analyzes the redevelopment of a key Milan landmark, Loreto Square, from an anthropological perspective. While the project rhetoric emphasizes creating a new green and sustainable area, it also reveals opposing urban strategies based on the privatization of public space and land rent. The article concludes by highlighting the central role of spaces characterized by institutions as ‘urban voids’ in shaping the identity of contemporary cities.
期刊介绍:
Anthropology Today is a bimonthly publication which aims to provide a forum for the application of anthropological analysis to public and topical issues, while reflecting the breadth of interests within the discipline of anthropology. It is also committed to promoting debate at the interface between anthropology and areas of applied knowledge such as education, medicine, development etc. as well as that between anthropology and other academic disciplines. Anthropology Today encourages submissions on a wide range of topics, consistent with these aims. Anthropology Today is an international journal both in the scope of issues it covers and in the sources it draws from.