The nice European cities inform tales of prosperity and development, but in addition of profound inequalities. Milan, Paris, Athens and Madrid present how financial and cultural facilities can coexist with suburbs marked by housing precariousness, issue in accessing providers and social marginalisation. From the Parisian banlieues to the Milanese working-class neighborhoods, from the Athenian suburbs to the Madrid outskirts, a standard thread emerges: city growth usually advances quicker than the social material, producing “two-speed” cities the place alternatives are usually not distributed equally. Analyzing incomes, entry to housing, transport and public areas, this reportage devoted to Milan inaugurates a sequence, a part of the Pulse venture, which presents a comparative take a look at how the suburbs of European metropolises expertise a double actuality, between wealth and fragility.
Milan, a two-speed metropolis
Milan is the financial capital of the nation, a hub of finance, innovation and vogue. It is town that hosts a 3rd of the multinationals based mostly in Italy and which – in response to the latest information – generated a GDP per capita of over 70 thousand euros in 2023, greater than double the nationwide common. But this picture of prosperity dangers turning into partial if not downright deceptive: beneath the floor of skyscrapers, coworking and start-ups, lies a peripheral material made up of low incomes, public housing usually in precarious circumstances and households who battle to assist each day bills.
The inequalities will be clearly seen within the numbers. The newest MEF report signifies that the typical declared earnings in Milan is round 35,300 euros gross, however this determine hides an enormous imbalance. In the postal code 20121, i.e. within the heart (Duomo space), the typical is near 94,400 euros, whereas in Quarto Oggiaro (20157) it drops to 18,500 euros. It’s a 5 to at least one ratio that pictures a structural hole.
If you progress to different historic suburbs, the situation modifications little. In Baggio and Muggiano incomes are round 23 thousand euros. In Comasina or Villapizzone we’ve got comparable values, effectively beneath town common. These are figures that correspond to single-income households residing in public housing, younger people who find themselves unable to depart their mother and father’ dwelling and pensioners who’ve to decide on whether or not to pay the invoice or buy groceries.
The double face of Milan can be mirrored within the Gini index, which measures inequalities: town reaches a price of 0.54, among the many highest in Italy. It signifies that the advantages of development are usually not distributed equally, however are concentrated in a slim phase of the inhabitants.
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