Representing the Milan metropolitan region from a public policy perspective

The present paper proposes a three‐axis method for identifying metropolitan regions in a European context that was developed from a public policy perspective within the field of regional geography. Drawing on a harmonised definition of functional urban area and a case‐specific literature review, the proposed method can be applied to urban regions characterised by multiple territorial development patterns. This paper focuses on the metropolitan node of Milan within the urban network of northern Italy. First, the concept of functional territorial scale is used to assess the city‐regional scale of Milan. Then, based on available geographical descriptions of metropolitan Milan, the metropolitan region is defined as a set of labour market areas, rather than as a single metropolitan area. Finally, some demographic and employment trends that have characterised the Milan metropolitan region and its emerging territorial imbalances over time are highlighted. Having identified a metropolitan territorial unit of Milan, the paper outlines some linkages between city‐regional development and metropolitan institutional policy.