Introduction Introduction

Introduction

When studying the different urba n a reas, their cha racteristics, a nd specific contexts, we have been a ble to interpret a t first through mapping a nd da ta a nalysis how the different commercial systems function in each of the municipalities a nalyzed in this studio (Sesto Sa n Giova nni, Vimodrone, Cologno Monzese, Segra te, a nd Municipio II a nd III of the city Mila n).

Wha t emerges from the interpreta tion of each a rea is tha t, along with the commercial life, we ca n observe the interdependence tha t has developed between certa in a reas or in certa in cases the isola tion of others tha t function from a nd for their own community, In the complex urba n a rena of the Città Metropolita na di Mila no, these spaces often intertwine erasing bounda ries in favor of commerciality for exa mple in the case of big shopping malls stra tegically loca ted a t the exit of certa in a rterial roads. Indeed, tra nsporta tion, both public a nd priva te, play a pivotal role in the rising of commercial streets a nd the decline of others. Today, we a re witnessing the growing need for a 15 minutes city.

The 15-min city mea ns tha t the essential urba n services people living in the city need (Work, shops, enterta inment, educa tion, a nd healthca re...) ca n be reached within a 15-minute walk or bike. With Pa ris leading the way, other cities a round the world have been enticed by this model. From the mea ning of 15-min city, we ca n easily understa nd the focus on walka bility, accessibility, a nd public services tha t ca ter to people’s needs. Also, this topic seems to be more a nd more importa nt since we face the complex situa tion of the Covid-19 pa ndemic. The lockdown has given local people a nua nced, enriching view of their neighborhood. Ma ny people have never been to the shops nea r their homes before beca use they a re very busy. They don’t know their neighbors or nea rby pa rks. The pa ndemic made them rediscover a nd apprecia te the neighborhood much more. Tha t’s why it’s quite importa nt to take cultural activities, local identity a nd social connections into considera tion as well.

After the first stage of the general a nalysis from these perspectives, we get to know tha t the 15-min city is almost there in Vimodrone. By further a nalysis a nd resea rch, we come to conclude tha t In Vimodrone we have “everything” (services, reta il, associa tions, good built a nd na tural environment) but they do not work together. Under the circumsta nce, crea ting systems a nd synergies using pilla rs as reta il/services, mobility, a nd requalifica tion to become the key point of our stra tegy in order to lead Vimodrone towa rds the goal of a more walka ble, livea ble, a nd vibra nt neighborhood.

Part 1: General analysis

1.1 Demographic and socio-economic analysis

The study a rea has a n overall population of 488252 overall popula tion of 488252 inhabitants inha bita nts. The graphs show tha t there a re releva nt differences in the number of inha bita nts per zone: Mila n’s Municipi have the highest number of inha bita nts, followed by the other Municipalities, the smallest one is Vimodrone. However, all the zones have been facing a simila r trend in the last decade, the population has been popula tion has been stable sta ble in all the period. In order to better understa nd the zones, we calcula ted the density of inha bita nts per km2 in each census tract. The Population Density map (2011) shows quite clea rly tha t the denser areas are denser a reas a re the city centers the city centers of all the Municipalities: the a rea has the cha racteristics of a polycentric system, although Mila n has a predomina nt role. Moreover, the Average Family Dimension map shows tha t the bigger families tend to live outside the bigger fa milies tend to live outside the Municipality of Mila n or in its peripherical a reas. This might be due to better living conditions a nd to lower housing prices. The two maps on the right help us having a general idea of the demographic trends tha t a re going on in the a rea, pa rticula rly rega rding the aging of popula tion. The Old-Age Dependency Ratio shows tha t the working-age popula tion in the a rea is still a ble to overcome the number of elderly people, however the Aging Index map shows a less comforting picture: the population in the area popula tion in the a rea is aging quite rapidly is aging quite rapidly, pa rticula rly in the denser a reas of the city. The age of popula tion is a very releva nt aspect to take into account when dealing with a 15-minutes city, in fact old people have different needs people have different needs in terms of services, commerce a nd a more accessible city in general. Another very importa nt aspect when dealing both with the 15-minutes city a nd with our focus topic (Commerce, Culture a nd Nightlife) is wealth wealth. Wealth is generally defined as “the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transaction”. According to this definition, it is a ha rd task to directly measure wealth, moreover ma ny useful da ta – as the income levels a t the census tract scale –a re not easily ava ila ble. In order to overcome these limita tions, we tried to address the issue of wealth using some proxy proxy analysis tha t do not describe themselves the topic, but help picturing a general fra mework. The proxy a nalysis we considered a re: educa tion, employment, incomes a nd real esta te ma rket. The Percentage of Graduates map shows tha t the higher percentages of graduates are in the inner higher percentages of gradua tes a re in the inner parts pa rts of Municipi 2 & 3, tha t benefit from the proximity to the city center a nd to the Politecnico a nd Sta tale University. Other a reas tha t shows positive values a re Segra te a nd Cologno Monzese city center. For wha t concerns Unemployment Rate, we ca nnot read a ny specific pa ttern on the concentra tion of unemployment. The a bsence of a reas cha racterized by a high presence of unemployed people is a good aspect for the a rea. Perhaps the most importa nt informa tion to understa nd the distribution of wealth a re Income Levels. The da ta, only ava ila ble a t the municipal level, shows tha t the richest Municipality is Segra te, followed by Mila no, Vimodrone, Cologno Monzese a nd Sesto Sa n Giova nni. The differences between the first two a nd the last three, are quite relevant a re quite releva nt: the average income level in Segra te is more tha n 150% the one of Sesto Sa n Giova nni Last, the distribution of housing cost housing cost is very simila r to the one of incomes. Vimodrone, Cologno Monzese a nd Sesto Sa n Giova nni – which had the lower revenues – have the lower prices of houses, while for Municio 2 a nd 3 a nd Segra te the cost increases while moving closer to the city of Milan. ncreases while moving closer to the city of Mila n. In conclusion, we ca n say tha t the whole area has whole a rea has good levels of wealth good levels of wealth. In pa rticula r, Municipi 2 a nd 3 a nd the Municipality of Segra te shows the best levels of educa tion, the highest incomes a nd the most valua ble housing ma rket. From the demographic a nd socio-economic point of view the a rea represent good requisites to become a 15-minutes city, to become a 15-minutes city, although the potentialities a nd weaknesses of each specific zone must be addressed as well as the importa nt issue of the popula tion aging.