Post on 03-Jun-2018
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 111
983089
Citizensrsquo initiatives in the face of power the reuse of two derelict areas in Milan
Carolina Pacchi
DAStU Politecnico di Milanocarolinapacchipolimiit
Abstract
Citizensrsquo initiatives are increasingly gaining ground in contemporary cities due to both a
shift in governance modes towards more horizontal and inclusive forms and to the shrinking
role of Local Authorities in many fields The cases discussed in the paper concern two
grassroots initiatives in the city of Milan (Italy) both animated by citizensrsquo groups in the
first one citizens mobilised for the restoration and renewal of a complex of former railway
warehouses near the Central Station pushing the Municipality and the owner to intervene in
the second one the object of the mobilisation are the different proposals for the rehabilitation
of a very central former harbour area on the Navigli canals abandoned and in state of decay
The paper after shortly describing the two architectural and urban contexts will critically
discuss the achievements and the open problems linked to the two initiatives paying
particular attention to the governance dimension and looking at how these citizensrsquo
initiatives changed the relationship between Local Government (both at municipal and at
district level) citizens community organisations and the owners and how they contributed
to open up a new space of possibilities for experimenting urban innovation
Finally the paper will focus on the impact these kind of mobilisation processes can have at a
more general urban governance level trying to identify the underlying risks that decision
making remains just incremental in the absence of a strategic vision able to tackle relevant
urban questions and the connected risk of capture of the public agenda
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 211
983090
1The role of grassroots initiatives a challenge for Italian cities and the case of Milan
Grassroots initiatives in a number of different fields animated by neighbourhood or
citizensrsquo groups are increasingly diffused in contemporary cities (della Porta e Andretta
2001 della Porta 2004) many observers link this phenomenon to a shift in governance
modes at local level (Le Galegraves 2002 Denters Rose 2005) to expectations about the
enhancement of local democracy and to processes of redefinition of collective identities (as
defined for instance by Melucci 1996) others underline the link with the shrinkage of
traditional forms of welfare state in European cities connected in turn with the drastic
reduction of local government resources which leads citizens to mobilise in order to directly
supply and share local services not available anymore (Moulaert et al 2007 Vicari
Haddock Moulaert 2009)
At the same time in European cities there are significant underused public and private
assets buildings and open spaces currently derelict or partially abandoned which are the
legacy of the relevant urban infrastructural and welfare policies of the past century In many
urban contexts initiatives for the reuse of such abandoned or underused resources have been
attracting the attention of citizens in recent years The urban nature of such collective goods
is a relevant analytical dimension in fact it is possible to ldquorelate the lsquourbanrsquo as material
culture to the right to inhabit on the one hand and the right to occupy and use public spaces
to gather and to protest on the otherrdquo(Leontidou 2010 p 1181) In this perspective they
become an occasion for various initiatives of re-appropriation of liveable spaces and the
object of forms local mobilisation
As in many European cities in Milan the societal and decision making systems have become
increasingly complex and fragmented over the last twenty years In Italy in in particular the
traditional mass party system organised and rooted in local contexts has been disappearing
since the mid-1990s and this has led in turn to the emergence of new type of political actorsboth on the local and on the national scene In general Milan has always been regarded as a
self-governing city a context in which the role of private actors both profit and non-profit
of higher education institutions and of various and diverse other stakeholders has always
been as important as that of Local Authorities in setting the agenda and in proposing
programmes and projects (Balducci Fedeli Pasqui 2011 Galimberti 2013)
Moreover the city has a long-standing tradition of civil society organisations which have
been leading actors in different policy fields (Ranci 2009 Bobbio Dente Spada 2005)
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 311
983091
From traditional charities and volunteering organizations to foundations and non-profit
agencies to neighbourhood and community groups over the last decades the city of Milan
has consolidated a tradition of what can be defined as private production of public goods Asan answer to neo-liberal urban policies (Moulaert 2007) the intervention of such locally
active groups has been particularly visible in the last years They proved to be not only
service providers (healthcare elderly care immigration environmental issues culture
heritage protection) but also active at shaping the public debate and raising awareness on the
possibility of alternative urban agendas
2The two cases Milan and its urban transformations
It comes as no surprise that in such a governance context in the last ten years a number of
grassroots initiatives has been gaining importance and visibility in pushing issues on the
urban agenda on the one hand and in directly mobilising resources from local communities
to try and resolve local questions on the other The two cases which will be discussed in this
paper are quite recent and they are therefore strictly connected to the political climate of the
centre-left local government which entered into power in 2011 with the election of Mayor
Giuliano Pisapia there are nevertheless a number of other cases which lasted much longer
significantly re-shaping from below the debate on local sustainability social cohesion and
re-appropriation of abandoned public spaces
In this paragraph we will briefly describe the emerging characters of the two urban contexts
and of the objects of local mobilisations and we will critically discuss the main elements of
the mobilisations themselves As we will see the spatial and social features of the two
neighbourhoods and of the buildings or infrastructures which are the object of the local
mobilisations impact very significantly on the development of the two cases
In the first case a group of citizens launched a mobilisation for the restoration and reuse of a
large complex of abandoned railway warehouses ( Magazzini Raccordati) under the railway
embankment pushing the Municipal Government and the owner (Grandi Stazioni a
company controlled by Ferrovie dello Stato the national rail operator and aimed at
valorising the main Italian stations) to intervene and to open up a dialogue process This case
shows some peculiar and interesting features firstly Magazzini Raccordati are a private
property but at the same time they play an urban role of public relevance since they are
located just under the railway tracks of Milan Central Station stretching one kilometre North
East They are a long sequence of abandoned warehouses bordering two streets (total
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 411
983092
surface 40000 sqm) originally occupied by railway services and subsequently rented to
logistics and wholesale activities up to when the contracts have expired and have not been
renewed by the current management Since a number of years the more than hundred spacesare therefore empty and in decay negatively affecting the urban quality of the surrounding
streets and of the whole neighbourhood which is perceived as neglected and unsafe by its
inhabitants
Fig 1 Magazzini Raccordati seen from via F Aporti
Due to this perception a citizensrsquo group called FAS ndash Ferrante Aporti Sammartini started to
get mobilized towards the end of 2011 in order to attract the attention of the MunicipalGovernment on the area and to promote public participation and debate on the possible
strategies for the rehabilitation of the warehouses complex and of the surrounding
neighbourhood Initially the expression of an already existing group aimed at supporting the
candidate Giuliano Pisapia in the 2011 local elections it has been growing involving people
and organisations with different backgrounds (individual citizens and shop owners never
involved in politics existing cultural associations hellip)
The mobilisation started with a public assembly a quite traditional means but it
subsequently developed and tested various tools aimed at attracting the attention and at
establishing an effective relationship with the Municipal Government and the district
council so that they could become a go-between with the owner To this end citizens have
been able to design and implement an articulated bottom up participatory process organised
in public hearings urban trekking in the neighbourhood workshops on future strategies
organisation of cultural events and local festivals etc This process despite the difficulties of
establishing an effective dialogue with the Municipal Government and the owner and of a
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 511
983093
tangible power unbalance has been able to put back the Magazzini Raccordati and the
neighbouring area on the public agenda and in the urban debate
Fig 2 A local workshop organised by citizens to discuss about future urban renewal strategies for the area
In the second case the object of local mobilisation are the different rehabilitation projects for
the Darsena area an old harbour terminal of the Navigli urban canal system now abandoned
and for many years in a state of decay In the years of neglect since the area was not in use
and the Darsena had been almost completely drained a valuable natural ecosystem
developed a wilderness zone with the traditional characters of woods growing near the
water systems in the wider region with which it shares the same type of flora and fauna
Fig 3 The Darsena area during the years of neglect and a rendering of the second version of the project
proposed by DarsenaPioniera
The Darsena area is located in a very central position bordering the historical centre of
Milan and the Navigli area known for nightlife it is characterized by a very active local
civil society and has therefore been the object of a number of mobilisations for urban
rehabilitation The group we propose to analyse here appears on the local scene after many
experiences of local activism but is seems particularly interesting because it has been
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 611
983094
working on a project aimed at bringing wilderness back into the heart of the city following a
model of urban oasis which is diffused for instance in Britain but quite new to Italian cities
Formed by a group of designers landscape architects and journalist DarsenaPioniera gets
mobilised in 2009 when the area was temporarily abandoned and neglected while the
Municipality was concluding a decision making process for an underground parking a
project which is the end has been cancelled The aim of DarsenaPioniera is to propose and
find support for a rehabilitation project for the empty space which in the meantime had
become a spontaneous green area The project unlike all the other ones which have been
proposed by the City Council and other actors recognizes the intrinsic value of wild flora
and thus proposes very light forms of intervention aimed at leaving the new ecosystem
untouched and at identifying spaces for small local gardens in order to enhance
participation on the part of citizens and neighbourhood groups This proposal has been
technically defined and proposed to the Administration and it has gained some local support
through diverse and creative forms of involvement aimed at citizens neighbourhood groups
and children from local schools Despite a technically sound project and a thorough
mobilisation process the project has been implemented on a temporary basis by the previous
Municipal Government but is has been dropped in the end by the current government
because it does not fit into the overall redesign of the Milan water system for Expo 2015 In
the face of the need expressed by the Municipality to bring water back into the basin
DarsenaPioniera proposed to modify their original project in order to allow the presence of
a wetland preserving at least part of the wilderness but this proposal has been met with
skepticism and ultimately dropped by the Deputy Mayor in charge
Fig 4 The Darsena project proposed by the Municipality in the framework of EXPO 2015
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 711
983095
3Innovations in governance and open questions
After the short description of the two cases we will propose some reflections still quite
open on the central question of the relationship between grassroots initiatives and Local
Government action from two perspectives the first perspective is quite internal to the
mobilisations themselves and following Tarrow (Tarrow 2011 p 120-122) it explores how
these mobilisations have been able to use existing networks and organisations how they
have been able to build new shared identities and to give a new meaning to their action and
how much they have been able to use and transform the system of political opportunities the
second one looks at the changes in governance lsquomodesrsquo or governance lsquostylesrsquo implied by
grassroots action at local level and to the changing relationships with more institutionalised
actors the Municipal Government in primis trying to understand how a shift from hierarchy
to networks can contribute to bring about innovation in coping with complex urban
problems
For the first aspect ie the internal characters of the groups in both cases the ability to
activate and use existing networks and organisations has been crucial in order to gather the
resources needed for local action The different contexts and the different nature of the object
can explain the difference in such networks while in the case of FAS they were rooted in
local political activism (especially in the first phases) in the Darsena case the group was
based on professional networks and personal acquaintances In both cases networking has
proven to be crucial not only to gain support and enlarge the coalition but especially to
mobilise experts and technical knowledge which in the end seems to be the crucial resource
to innovatively respond to complex urban problems
As far as the build-up of a shared local identity is concerned both groups strongly identify
themselves with the object of their mobilisation (the rehabilitation of the railway warehouses
in one case and of the harbour area in the other ) thus overlooking broader urban questionsthis can be seen at the same time as a strength and as a weakness It is a strength because it
helps to selectively concentrate the attention and the various types of resources towards a
clear end and to create a meaning to help people make sense of what they are doing for their
neighbourhood but at the same time it is a weakness because it triggers forms of
appropriation which in turn can cause conflict and disputes with citizens or other
neighbourhood groups thus weakening local voice in the face of the Local Authority and
because it may cause a myopic attitude towards broader urban questions
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 811
983096
As far as the last point is concerned it is necessary to better investigate the real ability of
these and of many other local mobilisations in Milan of opening up new spaces of
possibility looking at the way they have built up (or modified) forms of relationship with theMunicipal Government and with the owners or the developers The two cases offer quite
different answers DarsenaPioniera in the end has not been able to interact with the
rehabilitation process promoted by the Municipality also because from a certain moment in
time the process has been linked up with EXPO 2015 therefore entering into a typical lsquostate
of exceptionrsquo which characterises the management of big events at the urban level It seems
that this state of exception together with the difficulties in gaining support for the project at
local level contributed to limit the political opportunities thus leading to a final failure of
the project proposal
The railway warehouses case is partially different even though it is still in a different phase
of the decision making process here political opportunities have been seized though a
patient activity of relationship building with the Municipal Government both at central and
at district level the Deputy Mayor in charge of Urban Planning accepted to play a mediation
role with the private owner because of the relevance of the area and also because the FAS
group has gained both visibility and trustworthiness at the same time financial difficulties
in a period of crisis make the future redevelopment process of such a large estate quite
uncertain at the moment
Finally it is possible to make some remarks about the impact that such mobilisations had on
the citizensrsquo groups themselves which are quite different they are at the same time
constrained to promote the projects at the centre of their shared identity and divided between
the need to cooperate with the Local Government and to preserve a political distance and
autonomy As we have seen both groups we analysed have chosen a cooperative rather than
an oppositional strategy towards the Municipal Government and the fact that their requests
have been met very differently is not linked with their attitude which at the beginning has
been quite similar
For the second perspective as we have seen Milan is characterised by diverse forms of
informal social action aimed at resolving public problems and in the last few years the
possible synergies between these initiatives and Local Government action has been at the
centre of local debate Public intervention on informal social networks can be quite
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 211
983090
1The role of grassroots initiatives a challenge for Italian cities and the case of Milan
Grassroots initiatives in a number of different fields animated by neighbourhood or
citizensrsquo groups are increasingly diffused in contemporary cities (della Porta e Andretta
2001 della Porta 2004) many observers link this phenomenon to a shift in governance
modes at local level (Le Galegraves 2002 Denters Rose 2005) to expectations about the
enhancement of local democracy and to processes of redefinition of collective identities (as
defined for instance by Melucci 1996) others underline the link with the shrinkage of
traditional forms of welfare state in European cities connected in turn with the drastic
reduction of local government resources which leads citizens to mobilise in order to directly
supply and share local services not available anymore (Moulaert et al 2007 Vicari
Haddock Moulaert 2009)
At the same time in European cities there are significant underused public and private
assets buildings and open spaces currently derelict or partially abandoned which are the
legacy of the relevant urban infrastructural and welfare policies of the past century In many
urban contexts initiatives for the reuse of such abandoned or underused resources have been
attracting the attention of citizens in recent years The urban nature of such collective goods
is a relevant analytical dimension in fact it is possible to ldquorelate the lsquourbanrsquo as material
culture to the right to inhabit on the one hand and the right to occupy and use public spaces
to gather and to protest on the otherrdquo(Leontidou 2010 p 1181) In this perspective they
become an occasion for various initiatives of re-appropriation of liveable spaces and the
object of forms local mobilisation
As in many European cities in Milan the societal and decision making systems have become
increasingly complex and fragmented over the last twenty years In Italy in in particular the
traditional mass party system organised and rooted in local contexts has been disappearing
since the mid-1990s and this has led in turn to the emergence of new type of political actorsboth on the local and on the national scene In general Milan has always been regarded as a
self-governing city a context in which the role of private actors both profit and non-profit
of higher education institutions and of various and diverse other stakeholders has always
been as important as that of Local Authorities in setting the agenda and in proposing
programmes and projects (Balducci Fedeli Pasqui 2011 Galimberti 2013)
Moreover the city has a long-standing tradition of civil society organisations which have
been leading actors in different policy fields (Ranci 2009 Bobbio Dente Spada 2005)
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 311
983091
From traditional charities and volunteering organizations to foundations and non-profit
agencies to neighbourhood and community groups over the last decades the city of Milan
has consolidated a tradition of what can be defined as private production of public goods Asan answer to neo-liberal urban policies (Moulaert 2007) the intervention of such locally
active groups has been particularly visible in the last years They proved to be not only
service providers (healthcare elderly care immigration environmental issues culture
heritage protection) but also active at shaping the public debate and raising awareness on the
possibility of alternative urban agendas
2The two cases Milan and its urban transformations
It comes as no surprise that in such a governance context in the last ten years a number of
grassroots initiatives has been gaining importance and visibility in pushing issues on the
urban agenda on the one hand and in directly mobilising resources from local communities
to try and resolve local questions on the other The two cases which will be discussed in this
paper are quite recent and they are therefore strictly connected to the political climate of the
centre-left local government which entered into power in 2011 with the election of Mayor
Giuliano Pisapia there are nevertheless a number of other cases which lasted much longer
significantly re-shaping from below the debate on local sustainability social cohesion and
re-appropriation of abandoned public spaces
In this paragraph we will briefly describe the emerging characters of the two urban contexts
and of the objects of local mobilisations and we will critically discuss the main elements of
the mobilisations themselves As we will see the spatial and social features of the two
neighbourhoods and of the buildings or infrastructures which are the object of the local
mobilisations impact very significantly on the development of the two cases
In the first case a group of citizens launched a mobilisation for the restoration and reuse of a
large complex of abandoned railway warehouses ( Magazzini Raccordati) under the railway
embankment pushing the Municipal Government and the owner (Grandi Stazioni a
company controlled by Ferrovie dello Stato the national rail operator and aimed at
valorising the main Italian stations) to intervene and to open up a dialogue process This case
shows some peculiar and interesting features firstly Magazzini Raccordati are a private
property but at the same time they play an urban role of public relevance since they are
located just under the railway tracks of Milan Central Station stretching one kilometre North
East They are a long sequence of abandoned warehouses bordering two streets (total
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 411
983092
surface 40000 sqm) originally occupied by railway services and subsequently rented to
logistics and wholesale activities up to when the contracts have expired and have not been
renewed by the current management Since a number of years the more than hundred spacesare therefore empty and in decay negatively affecting the urban quality of the surrounding
streets and of the whole neighbourhood which is perceived as neglected and unsafe by its
inhabitants
Fig 1 Magazzini Raccordati seen from via F Aporti
Due to this perception a citizensrsquo group called FAS ndash Ferrante Aporti Sammartini started to
get mobilized towards the end of 2011 in order to attract the attention of the MunicipalGovernment on the area and to promote public participation and debate on the possible
strategies for the rehabilitation of the warehouses complex and of the surrounding
neighbourhood Initially the expression of an already existing group aimed at supporting the
candidate Giuliano Pisapia in the 2011 local elections it has been growing involving people
and organisations with different backgrounds (individual citizens and shop owners never
involved in politics existing cultural associations hellip)
The mobilisation started with a public assembly a quite traditional means but it
subsequently developed and tested various tools aimed at attracting the attention and at
establishing an effective relationship with the Municipal Government and the district
council so that they could become a go-between with the owner To this end citizens have
been able to design and implement an articulated bottom up participatory process organised
in public hearings urban trekking in the neighbourhood workshops on future strategies
organisation of cultural events and local festivals etc This process despite the difficulties of
establishing an effective dialogue with the Municipal Government and the owner and of a
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 511
983093
tangible power unbalance has been able to put back the Magazzini Raccordati and the
neighbouring area on the public agenda and in the urban debate
Fig 2 A local workshop organised by citizens to discuss about future urban renewal strategies for the area
In the second case the object of local mobilisation are the different rehabilitation projects for
the Darsena area an old harbour terminal of the Navigli urban canal system now abandoned
and for many years in a state of decay In the years of neglect since the area was not in use
and the Darsena had been almost completely drained a valuable natural ecosystem
developed a wilderness zone with the traditional characters of woods growing near the
water systems in the wider region with which it shares the same type of flora and fauna
Fig 3 The Darsena area during the years of neglect and a rendering of the second version of the project
proposed by DarsenaPioniera
The Darsena area is located in a very central position bordering the historical centre of
Milan and the Navigli area known for nightlife it is characterized by a very active local
civil society and has therefore been the object of a number of mobilisations for urban
rehabilitation The group we propose to analyse here appears on the local scene after many
experiences of local activism but is seems particularly interesting because it has been
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 611
983094
working on a project aimed at bringing wilderness back into the heart of the city following a
model of urban oasis which is diffused for instance in Britain but quite new to Italian cities
Formed by a group of designers landscape architects and journalist DarsenaPioniera gets
mobilised in 2009 when the area was temporarily abandoned and neglected while the
Municipality was concluding a decision making process for an underground parking a
project which is the end has been cancelled The aim of DarsenaPioniera is to propose and
find support for a rehabilitation project for the empty space which in the meantime had
become a spontaneous green area The project unlike all the other ones which have been
proposed by the City Council and other actors recognizes the intrinsic value of wild flora
and thus proposes very light forms of intervention aimed at leaving the new ecosystem
untouched and at identifying spaces for small local gardens in order to enhance
participation on the part of citizens and neighbourhood groups This proposal has been
technically defined and proposed to the Administration and it has gained some local support
through diverse and creative forms of involvement aimed at citizens neighbourhood groups
and children from local schools Despite a technically sound project and a thorough
mobilisation process the project has been implemented on a temporary basis by the previous
Municipal Government but is has been dropped in the end by the current government
because it does not fit into the overall redesign of the Milan water system for Expo 2015 In
the face of the need expressed by the Municipality to bring water back into the basin
DarsenaPioniera proposed to modify their original project in order to allow the presence of
a wetland preserving at least part of the wilderness but this proposal has been met with
skepticism and ultimately dropped by the Deputy Mayor in charge
Fig 4 The Darsena project proposed by the Municipality in the framework of EXPO 2015
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 711
983095
3Innovations in governance and open questions
After the short description of the two cases we will propose some reflections still quite
open on the central question of the relationship between grassroots initiatives and Local
Government action from two perspectives the first perspective is quite internal to the
mobilisations themselves and following Tarrow (Tarrow 2011 p 120-122) it explores how
these mobilisations have been able to use existing networks and organisations how they
have been able to build new shared identities and to give a new meaning to their action and
how much they have been able to use and transform the system of political opportunities the
second one looks at the changes in governance lsquomodesrsquo or governance lsquostylesrsquo implied by
grassroots action at local level and to the changing relationships with more institutionalised
actors the Municipal Government in primis trying to understand how a shift from hierarchy
to networks can contribute to bring about innovation in coping with complex urban
problems
For the first aspect ie the internal characters of the groups in both cases the ability to
activate and use existing networks and organisations has been crucial in order to gather the
resources needed for local action The different contexts and the different nature of the object
can explain the difference in such networks while in the case of FAS they were rooted in
local political activism (especially in the first phases) in the Darsena case the group was
based on professional networks and personal acquaintances In both cases networking has
proven to be crucial not only to gain support and enlarge the coalition but especially to
mobilise experts and technical knowledge which in the end seems to be the crucial resource
to innovatively respond to complex urban problems
As far as the build-up of a shared local identity is concerned both groups strongly identify
themselves with the object of their mobilisation (the rehabilitation of the railway warehouses
in one case and of the harbour area in the other ) thus overlooking broader urban questionsthis can be seen at the same time as a strength and as a weakness It is a strength because it
helps to selectively concentrate the attention and the various types of resources towards a
clear end and to create a meaning to help people make sense of what they are doing for their
neighbourhood but at the same time it is a weakness because it triggers forms of
appropriation which in turn can cause conflict and disputes with citizens or other
neighbourhood groups thus weakening local voice in the face of the Local Authority and
because it may cause a myopic attitude towards broader urban questions
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 811
983096
As far as the last point is concerned it is necessary to better investigate the real ability of
these and of many other local mobilisations in Milan of opening up new spaces of
possibility looking at the way they have built up (or modified) forms of relationship with theMunicipal Government and with the owners or the developers The two cases offer quite
different answers DarsenaPioniera in the end has not been able to interact with the
rehabilitation process promoted by the Municipality also because from a certain moment in
time the process has been linked up with EXPO 2015 therefore entering into a typical lsquostate
of exceptionrsquo which characterises the management of big events at the urban level It seems
that this state of exception together with the difficulties in gaining support for the project at
local level contributed to limit the political opportunities thus leading to a final failure of
the project proposal
The railway warehouses case is partially different even though it is still in a different phase
of the decision making process here political opportunities have been seized though a
patient activity of relationship building with the Municipal Government both at central and
at district level the Deputy Mayor in charge of Urban Planning accepted to play a mediation
role with the private owner because of the relevance of the area and also because the FAS
group has gained both visibility and trustworthiness at the same time financial difficulties
in a period of crisis make the future redevelopment process of such a large estate quite
uncertain at the moment
Finally it is possible to make some remarks about the impact that such mobilisations had on
the citizensrsquo groups themselves which are quite different they are at the same time
constrained to promote the projects at the centre of their shared identity and divided between
the need to cooperate with the Local Government and to preserve a political distance and
autonomy As we have seen both groups we analysed have chosen a cooperative rather than
an oppositional strategy towards the Municipal Government and the fact that their requests
have been met very differently is not linked with their attitude which at the beginning has
been quite similar
For the second perspective as we have seen Milan is characterised by diverse forms of
informal social action aimed at resolving public problems and in the last few years the
possible synergies between these initiatives and Local Government action has been at the
centre of local debate Public intervention on informal social networks can be quite
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 311
983091
From traditional charities and volunteering organizations to foundations and non-profit
agencies to neighbourhood and community groups over the last decades the city of Milan
has consolidated a tradition of what can be defined as private production of public goods Asan answer to neo-liberal urban policies (Moulaert 2007) the intervention of such locally
active groups has been particularly visible in the last years They proved to be not only
service providers (healthcare elderly care immigration environmental issues culture
heritage protection) but also active at shaping the public debate and raising awareness on the
possibility of alternative urban agendas
2The two cases Milan and its urban transformations
It comes as no surprise that in such a governance context in the last ten years a number of
grassroots initiatives has been gaining importance and visibility in pushing issues on the
urban agenda on the one hand and in directly mobilising resources from local communities
to try and resolve local questions on the other The two cases which will be discussed in this
paper are quite recent and they are therefore strictly connected to the political climate of the
centre-left local government which entered into power in 2011 with the election of Mayor
Giuliano Pisapia there are nevertheless a number of other cases which lasted much longer
significantly re-shaping from below the debate on local sustainability social cohesion and
re-appropriation of abandoned public spaces
In this paragraph we will briefly describe the emerging characters of the two urban contexts
and of the objects of local mobilisations and we will critically discuss the main elements of
the mobilisations themselves As we will see the spatial and social features of the two
neighbourhoods and of the buildings or infrastructures which are the object of the local
mobilisations impact very significantly on the development of the two cases
In the first case a group of citizens launched a mobilisation for the restoration and reuse of a
large complex of abandoned railway warehouses ( Magazzini Raccordati) under the railway
embankment pushing the Municipal Government and the owner (Grandi Stazioni a
company controlled by Ferrovie dello Stato the national rail operator and aimed at
valorising the main Italian stations) to intervene and to open up a dialogue process This case
shows some peculiar and interesting features firstly Magazzini Raccordati are a private
property but at the same time they play an urban role of public relevance since they are
located just under the railway tracks of Milan Central Station stretching one kilometre North
East They are a long sequence of abandoned warehouses bordering two streets (total
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 411
983092
surface 40000 sqm) originally occupied by railway services and subsequently rented to
logistics and wholesale activities up to when the contracts have expired and have not been
renewed by the current management Since a number of years the more than hundred spacesare therefore empty and in decay negatively affecting the urban quality of the surrounding
streets and of the whole neighbourhood which is perceived as neglected and unsafe by its
inhabitants
Fig 1 Magazzini Raccordati seen from via F Aporti
Due to this perception a citizensrsquo group called FAS ndash Ferrante Aporti Sammartini started to
get mobilized towards the end of 2011 in order to attract the attention of the MunicipalGovernment on the area and to promote public participation and debate on the possible
strategies for the rehabilitation of the warehouses complex and of the surrounding
neighbourhood Initially the expression of an already existing group aimed at supporting the
candidate Giuliano Pisapia in the 2011 local elections it has been growing involving people
and organisations with different backgrounds (individual citizens and shop owners never
involved in politics existing cultural associations hellip)
The mobilisation started with a public assembly a quite traditional means but it
subsequently developed and tested various tools aimed at attracting the attention and at
establishing an effective relationship with the Municipal Government and the district
council so that they could become a go-between with the owner To this end citizens have
been able to design and implement an articulated bottom up participatory process organised
in public hearings urban trekking in the neighbourhood workshops on future strategies
organisation of cultural events and local festivals etc This process despite the difficulties of
establishing an effective dialogue with the Municipal Government and the owner and of a
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 511
983093
tangible power unbalance has been able to put back the Magazzini Raccordati and the
neighbouring area on the public agenda and in the urban debate
Fig 2 A local workshop organised by citizens to discuss about future urban renewal strategies for the area
In the second case the object of local mobilisation are the different rehabilitation projects for
the Darsena area an old harbour terminal of the Navigli urban canal system now abandoned
and for many years in a state of decay In the years of neglect since the area was not in use
and the Darsena had been almost completely drained a valuable natural ecosystem
developed a wilderness zone with the traditional characters of woods growing near the
water systems in the wider region with which it shares the same type of flora and fauna
Fig 3 The Darsena area during the years of neglect and a rendering of the second version of the project
proposed by DarsenaPioniera
The Darsena area is located in a very central position bordering the historical centre of
Milan and the Navigli area known for nightlife it is characterized by a very active local
civil society and has therefore been the object of a number of mobilisations for urban
rehabilitation The group we propose to analyse here appears on the local scene after many
experiences of local activism but is seems particularly interesting because it has been
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 611
983094
working on a project aimed at bringing wilderness back into the heart of the city following a
model of urban oasis which is diffused for instance in Britain but quite new to Italian cities
Formed by a group of designers landscape architects and journalist DarsenaPioniera gets
mobilised in 2009 when the area was temporarily abandoned and neglected while the
Municipality was concluding a decision making process for an underground parking a
project which is the end has been cancelled The aim of DarsenaPioniera is to propose and
find support for a rehabilitation project for the empty space which in the meantime had
become a spontaneous green area The project unlike all the other ones which have been
proposed by the City Council and other actors recognizes the intrinsic value of wild flora
and thus proposes very light forms of intervention aimed at leaving the new ecosystem
untouched and at identifying spaces for small local gardens in order to enhance
participation on the part of citizens and neighbourhood groups This proposal has been
technically defined and proposed to the Administration and it has gained some local support
through diverse and creative forms of involvement aimed at citizens neighbourhood groups
and children from local schools Despite a technically sound project and a thorough
mobilisation process the project has been implemented on a temporary basis by the previous
Municipal Government but is has been dropped in the end by the current government
because it does not fit into the overall redesign of the Milan water system for Expo 2015 In
the face of the need expressed by the Municipality to bring water back into the basin
DarsenaPioniera proposed to modify their original project in order to allow the presence of
a wetland preserving at least part of the wilderness but this proposal has been met with
skepticism and ultimately dropped by the Deputy Mayor in charge
Fig 4 The Darsena project proposed by the Municipality in the framework of EXPO 2015
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 711
983095
3Innovations in governance and open questions
After the short description of the two cases we will propose some reflections still quite
open on the central question of the relationship between grassroots initiatives and Local
Government action from two perspectives the first perspective is quite internal to the
mobilisations themselves and following Tarrow (Tarrow 2011 p 120-122) it explores how
these mobilisations have been able to use existing networks and organisations how they
have been able to build new shared identities and to give a new meaning to their action and
how much they have been able to use and transform the system of political opportunities the
second one looks at the changes in governance lsquomodesrsquo or governance lsquostylesrsquo implied by
grassroots action at local level and to the changing relationships with more institutionalised
actors the Municipal Government in primis trying to understand how a shift from hierarchy
to networks can contribute to bring about innovation in coping with complex urban
problems
For the first aspect ie the internal characters of the groups in both cases the ability to
activate and use existing networks and organisations has been crucial in order to gather the
resources needed for local action The different contexts and the different nature of the object
can explain the difference in such networks while in the case of FAS they were rooted in
local political activism (especially in the first phases) in the Darsena case the group was
based on professional networks and personal acquaintances In both cases networking has
proven to be crucial not only to gain support and enlarge the coalition but especially to
mobilise experts and technical knowledge which in the end seems to be the crucial resource
to innovatively respond to complex urban problems
As far as the build-up of a shared local identity is concerned both groups strongly identify
themselves with the object of their mobilisation (the rehabilitation of the railway warehouses
in one case and of the harbour area in the other ) thus overlooking broader urban questionsthis can be seen at the same time as a strength and as a weakness It is a strength because it
helps to selectively concentrate the attention and the various types of resources towards a
clear end and to create a meaning to help people make sense of what they are doing for their
neighbourhood but at the same time it is a weakness because it triggers forms of
appropriation which in turn can cause conflict and disputes with citizens or other
neighbourhood groups thus weakening local voice in the face of the Local Authority and
because it may cause a myopic attitude towards broader urban questions
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 811
983096
As far as the last point is concerned it is necessary to better investigate the real ability of
these and of many other local mobilisations in Milan of opening up new spaces of
possibility looking at the way they have built up (or modified) forms of relationship with theMunicipal Government and with the owners or the developers The two cases offer quite
different answers DarsenaPioniera in the end has not been able to interact with the
rehabilitation process promoted by the Municipality also because from a certain moment in
time the process has been linked up with EXPO 2015 therefore entering into a typical lsquostate
of exceptionrsquo which characterises the management of big events at the urban level It seems
that this state of exception together with the difficulties in gaining support for the project at
local level contributed to limit the political opportunities thus leading to a final failure of
the project proposal
The railway warehouses case is partially different even though it is still in a different phase
of the decision making process here political opportunities have been seized though a
patient activity of relationship building with the Municipal Government both at central and
at district level the Deputy Mayor in charge of Urban Planning accepted to play a mediation
role with the private owner because of the relevance of the area and also because the FAS
group has gained both visibility and trustworthiness at the same time financial difficulties
in a period of crisis make the future redevelopment process of such a large estate quite
uncertain at the moment
Finally it is possible to make some remarks about the impact that such mobilisations had on
the citizensrsquo groups themselves which are quite different they are at the same time
constrained to promote the projects at the centre of their shared identity and divided between
the need to cooperate with the Local Government and to preserve a political distance and
autonomy As we have seen both groups we analysed have chosen a cooperative rather than
an oppositional strategy towards the Municipal Government and the fact that their requests
have been met very differently is not linked with their attitude which at the beginning has
been quite similar
For the second perspective as we have seen Milan is characterised by diverse forms of
informal social action aimed at resolving public problems and in the last few years the
possible synergies between these initiatives and Local Government action has been at the
centre of local debate Public intervention on informal social networks can be quite
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 411
983092
surface 40000 sqm) originally occupied by railway services and subsequently rented to
logistics and wholesale activities up to when the contracts have expired and have not been
renewed by the current management Since a number of years the more than hundred spacesare therefore empty and in decay negatively affecting the urban quality of the surrounding
streets and of the whole neighbourhood which is perceived as neglected and unsafe by its
inhabitants
Fig 1 Magazzini Raccordati seen from via F Aporti
Due to this perception a citizensrsquo group called FAS ndash Ferrante Aporti Sammartini started to
get mobilized towards the end of 2011 in order to attract the attention of the MunicipalGovernment on the area and to promote public participation and debate on the possible
strategies for the rehabilitation of the warehouses complex and of the surrounding
neighbourhood Initially the expression of an already existing group aimed at supporting the
candidate Giuliano Pisapia in the 2011 local elections it has been growing involving people
and organisations with different backgrounds (individual citizens and shop owners never
involved in politics existing cultural associations hellip)
The mobilisation started with a public assembly a quite traditional means but it
subsequently developed and tested various tools aimed at attracting the attention and at
establishing an effective relationship with the Municipal Government and the district
council so that they could become a go-between with the owner To this end citizens have
been able to design and implement an articulated bottom up participatory process organised
in public hearings urban trekking in the neighbourhood workshops on future strategies
organisation of cultural events and local festivals etc This process despite the difficulties of
establishing an effective dialogue with the Municipal Government and the owner and of a
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 511
983093
tangible power unbalance has been able to put back the Magazzini Raccordati and the
neighbouring area on the public agenda and in the urban debate
Fig 2 A local workshop organised by citizens to discuss about future urban renewal strategies for the area
In the second case the object of local mobilisation are the different rehabilitation projects for
the Darsena area an old harbour terminal of the Navigli urban canal system now abandoned
and for many years in a state of decay In the years of neglect since the area was not in use
and the Darsena had been almost completely drained a valuable natural ecosystem
developed a wilderness zone with the traditional characters of woods growing near the
water systems in the wider region with which it shares the same type of flora and fauna
Fig 3 The Darsena area during the years of neglect and a rendering of the second version of the project
proposed by DarsenaPioniera
The Darsena area is located in a very central position bordering the historical centre of
Milan and the Navigli area known for nightlife it is characterized by a very active local
civil society and has therefore been the object of a number of mobilisations for urban
rehabilitation The group we propose to analyse here appears on the local scene after many
experiences of local activism but is seems particularly interesting because it has been
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 611
983094
working on a project aimed at bringing wilderness back into the heart of the city following a
model of urban oasis which is diffused for instance in Britain but quite new to Italian cities
Formed by a group of designers landscape architects and journalist DarsenaPioniera gets
mobilised in 2009 when the area was temporarily abandoned and neglected while the
Municipality was concluding a decision making process for an underground parking a
project which is the end has been cancelled The aim of DarsenaPioniera is to propose and
find support for a rehabilitation project for the empty space which in the meantime had
become a spontaneous green area The project unlike all the other ones which have been
proposed by the City Council and other actors recognizes the intrinsic value of wild flora
and thus proposes very light forms of intervention aimed at leaving the new ecosystem
untouched and at identifying spaces for small local gardens in order to enhance
participation on the part of citizens and neighbourhood groups This proposal has been
technically defined and proposed to the Administration and it has gained some local support
through diverse and creative forms of involvement aimed at citizens neighbourhood groups
and children from local schools Despite a technically sound project and a thorough
mobilisation process the project has been implemented on a temporary basis by the previous
Municipal Government but is has been dropped in the end by the current government
because it does not fit into the overall redesign of the Milan water system for Expo 2015 In
the face of the need expressed by the Municipality to bring water back into the basin
DarsenaPioniera proposed to modify their original project in order to allow the presence of
a wetland preserving at least part of the wilderness but this proposal has been met with
skepticism and ultimately dropped by the Deputy Mayor in charge
Fig 4 The Darsena project proposed by the Municipality in the framework of EXPO 2015
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 711
983095
3Innovations in governance and open questions
After the short description of the two cases we will propose some reflections still quite
open on the central question of the relationship between grassroots initiatives and Local
Government action from two perspectives the first perspective is quite internal to the
mobilisations themselves and following Tarrow (Tarrow 2011 p 120-122) it explores how
these mobilisations have been able to use existing networks and organisations how they
have been able to build new shared identities and to give a new meaning to their action and
how much they have been able to use and transform the system of political opportunities the
second one looks at the changes in governance lsquomodesrsquo or governance lsquostylesrsquo implied by
grassroots action at local level and to the changing relationships with more institutionalised
actors the Municipal Government in primis trying to understand how a shift from hierarchy
to networks can contribute to bring about innovation in coping with complex urban
problems
For the first aspect ie the internal characters of the groups in both cases the ability to
activate and use existing networks and organisations has been crucial in order to gather the
resources needed for local action The different contexts and the different nature of the object
can explain the difference in such networks while in the case of FAS they were rooted in
local political activism (especially in the first phases) in the Darsena case the group was
based on professional networks and personal acquaintances In both cases networking has
proven to be crucial not only to gain support and enlarge the coalition but especially to
mobilise experts and technical knowledge which in the end seems to be the crucial resource
to innovatively respond to complex urban problems
As far as the build-up of a shared local identity is concerned both groups strongly identify
themselves with the object of their mobilisation (the rehabilitation of the railway warehouses
in one case and of the harbour area in the other ) thus overlooking broader urban questionsthis can be seen at the same time as a strength and as a weakness It is a strength because it
helps to selectively concentrate the attention and the various types of resources towards a
clear end and to create a meaning to help people make sense of what they are doing for their
neighbourhood but at the same time it is a weakness because it triggers forms of
appropriation which in turn can cause conflict and disputes with citizens or other
neighbourhood groups thus weakening local voice in the face of the Local Authority and
because it may cause a myopic attitude towards broader urban questions
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 811
983096
As far as the last point is concerned it is necessary to better investigate the real ability of
these and of many other local mobilisations in Milan of opening up new spaces of
possibility looking at the way they have built up (or modified) forms of relationship with theMunicipal Government and with the owners or the developers The two cases offer quite
different answers DarsenaPioniera in the end has not been able to interact with the
rehabilitation process promoted by the Municipality also because from a certain moment in
time the process has been linked up with EXPO 2015 therefore entering into a typical lsquostate
of exceptionrsquo which characterises the management of big events at the urban level It seems
that this state of exception together with the difficulties in gaining support for the project at
local level contributed to limit the political opportunities thus leading to a final failure of
the project proposal
The railway warehouses case is partially different even though it is still in a different phase
of the decision making process here political opportunities have been seized though a
patient activity of relationship building with the Municipal Government both at central and
at district level the Deputy Mayor in charge of Urban Planning accepted to play a mediation
role with the private owner because of the relevance of the area and also because the FAS
group has gained both visibility and trustworthiness at the same time financial difficulties
in a period of crisis make the future redevelopment process of such a large estate quite
uncertain at the moment
Finally it is possible to make some remarks about the impact that such mobilisations had on
the citizensrsquo groups themselves which are quite different they are at the same time
constrained to promote the projects at the centre of their shared identity and divided between
the need to cooperate with the Local Government and to preserve a political distance and
autonomy As we have seen both groups we analysed have chosen a cooperative rather than
an oppositional strategy towards the Municipal Government and the fact that their requests
have been met very differently is not linked with their attitude which at the beginning has
been quite similar
For the second perspective as we have seen Milan is characterised by diverse forms of
informal social action aimed at resolving public problems and in the last few years the
possible synergies between these initiatives and Local Government action has been at the
centre of local debate Public intervention on informal social networks can be quite
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 511
983093
tangible power unbalance has been able to put back the Magazzini Raccordati and the
neighbouring area on the public agenda and in the urban debate
Fig 2 A local workshop organised by citizens to discuss about future urban renewal strategies for the area
In the second case the object of local mobilisation are the different rehabilitation projects for
the Darsena area an old harbour terminal of the Navigli urban canal system now abandoned
and for many years in a state of decay In the years of neglect since the area was not in use
and the Darsena had been almost completely drained a valuable natural ecosystem
developed a wilderness zone with the traditional characters of woods growing near the
water systems in the wider region with which it shares the same type of flora and fauna
Fig 3 The Darsena area during the years of neglect and a rendering of the second version of the project
proposed by DarsenaPioniera
The Darsena area is located in a very central position bordering the historical centre of
Milan and the Navigli area known for nightlife it is characterized by a very active local
civil society and has therefore been the object of a number of mobilisations for urban
rehabilitation The group we propose to analyse here appears on the local scene after many
experiences of local activism but is seems particularly interesting because it has been
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 611
983094
working on a project aimed at bringing wilderness back into the heart of the city following a
model of urban oasis which is diffused for instance in Britain but quite new to Italian cities
Formed by a group of designers landscape architects and journalist DarsenaPioniera gets
mobilised in 2009 when the area was temporarily abandoned and neglected while the
Municipality was concluding a decision making process for an underground parking a
project which is the end has been cancelled The aim of DarsenaPioniera is to propose and
find support for a rehabilitation project for the empty space which in the meantime had
become a spontaneous green area The project unlike all the other ones which have been
proposed by the City Council and other actors recognizes the intrinsic value of wild flora
and thus proposes very light forms of intervention aimed at leaving the new ecosystem
untouched and at identifying spaces for small local gardens in order to enhance
participation on the part of citizens and neighbourhood groups This proposal has been
technically defined and proposed to the Administration and it has gained some local support
through diverse and creative forms of involvement aimed at citizens neighbourhood groups
and children from local schools Despite a technically sound project and a thorough
mobilisation process the project has been implemented on a temporary basis by the previous
Municipal Government but is has been dropped in the end by the current government
because it does not fit into the overall redesign of the Milan water system for Expo 2015 In
the face of the need expressed by the Municipality to bring water back into the basin
DarsenaPioniera proposed to modify their original project in order to allow the presence of
a wetland preserving at least part of the wilderness but this proposal has been met with
skepticism and ultimately dropped by the Deputy Mayor in charge
Fig 4 The Darsena project proposed by the Municipality in the framework of EXPO 2015
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 711
983095
3Innovations in governance and open questions
After the short description of the two cases we will propose some reflections still quite
open on the central question of the relationship between grassroots initiatives and Local
Government action from two perspectives the first perspective is quite internal to the
mobilisations themselves and following Tarrow (Tarrow 2011 p 120-122) it explores how
these mobilisations have been able to use existing networks and organisations how they
have been able to build new shared identities and to give a new meaning to their action and
how much they have been able to use and transform the system of political opportunities the
second one looks at the changes in governance lsquomodesrsquo or governance lsquostylesrsquo implied by
grassroots action at local level and to the changing relationships with more institutionalised
actors the Municipal Government in primis trying to understand how a shift from hierarchy
to networks can contribute to bring about innovation in coping with complex urban
problems
For the first aspect ie the internal characters of the groups in both cases the ability to
activate and use existing networks and organisations has been crucial in order to gather the
resources needed for local action The different contexts and the different nature of the object
can explain the difference in such networks while in the case of FAS they were rooted in
local political activism (especially in the first phases) in the Darsena case the group was
based on professional networks and personal acquaintances In both cases networking has
proven to be crucial not only to gain support and enlarge the coalition but especially to
mobilise experts and technical knowledge which in the end seems to be the crucial resource
to innovatively respond to complex urban problems
As far as the build-up of a shared local identity is concerned both groups strongly identify
themselves with the object of their mobilisation (the rehabilitation of the railway warehouses
in one case and of the harbour area in the other ) thus overlooking broader urban questionsthis can be seen at the same time as a strength and as a weakness It is a strength because it
helps to selectively concentrate the attention and the various types of resources towards a
clear end and to create a meaning to help people make sense of what they are doing for their
neighbourhood but at the same time it is a weakness because it triggers forms of
appropriation which in turn can cause conflict and disputes with citizens or other
neighbourhood groups thus weakening local voice in the face of the Local Authority and
because it may cause a myopic attitude towards broader urban questions
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 811
983096
As far as the last point is concerned it is necessary to better investigate the real ability of
these and of many other local mobilisations in Milan of opening up new spaces of
possibility looking at the way they have built up (or modified) forms of relationship with theMunicipal Government and with the owners or the developers The two cases offer quite
different answers DarsenaPioniera in the end has not been able to interact with the
rehabilitation process promoted by the Municipality also because from a certain moment in
time the process has been linked up with EXPO 2015 therefore entering into a typical lsquostate
of exceptionrsquo which characterises the management of big events at the urban level It seems
that this state of exception together with the difficulties in gaining support for the project at
local level contributed to limit the political opportunities thus leading to a final failure of
the project proposal
The railway warehouses case is partially different even though it is still in a different phase
of the decision making process here political opportunities have been seized though a
patient activity of relationship building with the Municipal Government both at central and
at district level the Deputy Mayor in charge of Urban Planning accepted to play a mediation
role with the private owner because of the relevance of the area and also because the FAS
group has gained both visibility and trustworthiness at the same time financial difficulties
in a period of crisis make the future redevelopment process of such a large estate quite
uncertain at the moment
Finally it is possible to make some remarks about the impact that such mobilisations had on
the citizensrsquo groups themselves which are quite different they are at the same time
constrained to promote the projects at the centre of their shared identity and divided between
the need to cooperate with the Local Government and to preserve a political distance and
autonomy As we have seen both groups we analysed have chosen a cooperative rather than
an oppositional strategy towards the Municipal Government and the fact that their requests
have been met very differently is not linked with their attitude which at the beginning has
been quite similar
For the second perspective as we have seen Milan is characterised by diverse forms of
informal social action aimed at resolving public problems and in the last few years the
possible synergies between these initiatives and Local Government action has been at the
centre of local debate Public intervention on informal social networks can be quite
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 611
983094
working on a project aimed at bringing wilderness back into the heart of the city following a
model of urban oasis which is diffused for instance in Britain but quite new to Italian cities
Formed by a group of designers landscape architects and journalist DarsenaPioniera gets
mobilised in 2009 when the area was temporarily abandoned and neglected while the
Municipality was concluding a decision making process for an underground parking a
project which is the end has been cancelled The aim of DarsenaPioniera is to propose and
find support for a rehabilitation project for the empty space which in the meantime had
become a spontaneous green area The project unlike all the other ones which have been
proposed by the City Council and other actors recognizes the intrinsic value of wild flora
and thus proposes very light forms of intervention aimed at leaving the new ecosystem
untouched and at identifying spaces for small local gardens in order to enhance
participation on the part of citizens and neighbourhood groups This proposal has been
technically defined and proposed to the Administration and it has gained some local support
through diverse and creative forms of involvement aimed at citizens neighbourhood groups
and children from local schools Despite a technically sound project and a thorough
mobilisation process the project has been implemented on a temporary basis by the previous
Municipal Government but is has been dropped in the end by the current government
because it does not fit into the overall redesign of the Milan water system for Expo 2015 In
the face of the need expressed by the Municipality to bring water back into the basin
DarsenaPioniera proposed to modify their original project in order to allow the presence of
a wetland preserving at least part of the wilderness but this proposal has been met with
skepticism and ultimately dropped by the Deputy Mayor in charge
Fig 4 The Darsena project proposed by the Municipality in the framework of EXPO 2015
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 711
983095
3Innovations in governance and open questions
After the short description of the two cases we will propose some reflections still quite
open on the central question of the relationship between grassroots initiatives and Local
Government action from two perspectives the first perspective is quite internal to the
mobilisations themselves and following Tarrow (Tarrow 2011 p 120-122) it explores how
these mobilisations have been able to use existing networks and organisations how they
have been able to build new shared identities and to give a new meaning to their action and
how much they have been able to use and transform the system of political opportunities the
second one looks at the changes in governance lsquomodesrsquo or governance lsquostylesrsquo implied by
grassroots action at local level and to the changing relationships with more institutionalised
actors the Municipal Government in primis trying to understand how a shift from hierarchy
to networks can contribute to bring about innovation in coping with complex urban
problems
For the first aspect ie the internal characters of the groups in both cases the ability to
activate and use existing networks and organisations has been crucial in order to gather the
resources needed for local action The different contexts and the different nature of the object
can explain the difference in such networks while in the case of FAS they were rooted in
local political activism (especially in the first phases) in the Darsena case the group was
based on professional networks and personal acquaintances In both cases networking has
proven to be crucial not only to gain support and enlarge the coalition but especially to
mobilise experts and technical knowledge which in the end seems to be the crucial resource
to innovatively respond to complex urban problems
As far as the build-up of a shared local identity is concerned both groups strongly identify
themselves with the object of their mobilisation (the rehabilitation of the railway warehouses
in one case and of the harbour area in the other ) thus overlooking broader urban questionsthis can be seen at the same time as a strength and as a weakness It is a strength because it
helps to selectively concentrate the attention and the various types of resources towards a
clear end and to create a meaning to help people make sense of what they are doing for their
neighbourhood but at the same time it is a weakness because it triggers forms of
appropriation which in turn can cause conflict and disputes with citizens or other
neighbourhood groups thus weakening local voice in the face of the Local Authority and
because it may cause a myopic attitude towards broader urban questions
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 811
983096
As far as the last point is concerned it is necessary to better investigate the real ability of
these and of many other local mobilisations in Milan of opening up new spaces of
possibility looking at the way they have built up (or modified) forms of relationship with theMunicipal Government and with the owners or the developers The two cases offer quite
different answers DarsenaPioniera in the end has not been able to interact with the
rehabilitation process promoted by the Municipality also because from a certain moment in
time the process has been linked up with EXPO 2015 therefore entering into a typical lsquostate
of exceptionrsquo which characterises the management of big events at the urban level It seems
that this state of exception together with the difficulties in gaining support for the project at
local level contributed to limit the political opportunities thus leading to a final failure of
the project proposal
The railway warehouses case is partially different even though it is still in a different phase
of the decision making process here political opportunities have been seized though a
patient activity of relationship building with the Municipal Government both at central and
at district level the Deputy Mayor in charge of Urban Planning accepted to play a mediation
role with the private owner because of the relevance of the area and also because the FAS
group has gained both visibility and trustworthiness at the same time financial difficulties
in a period of crisis make the future redevelopment process of such a large estate quite
uncertain at the moment
Finally it is possible to make some remarks about the impact that such mobilisations had on
the citizensrsquo groups themselves which are quite different they are at the same time
constrained to promote the projects at the centre of their shared identity and divided between
the need to cooperate with the Local Government and to preserve a political distance and
autonomy As we have seen both groups we analysed have chosen a cooperative rather than
an oppositional strategy towards the Municipal Government and the fact that their requests
have been met very differently is not linked with their attitude which at the beginning has
been quite similar
For the second perspective as we have seen Milan is characterised by diverse forms of
informal social action aimed at resolving public problems and in the last few years the
possible synergies between these initiatives and Local Government action has been at the
centre of local debate Public intervention on informal social networks can be quite
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 711
983095
3Innovations in governance and open questions
After the short description of the two cases we will propose some reflections still quite
open on the central question of the relationship between grassroots initiatives and Local
Government action from two perspectives the first perspective is quite internal to the
mobilisations themselves and following Tarrow (Tarrow 2011 p 120-122) it explores how
these mobilisations have been able to use existing networks and organisations how they
have been able to build new shared identities and to give a new meaning to their action and
how much they have been able to use and transform the system of political opportunities the
second one looks at the changes in governance lsquomodesrsquo or governance lsquostylesrsquo implied by
grassroots action at local level and to the changing relationships with more institutionalised
actors the Municipal Government in primis trying to understand how a shift from hierarchy
to networks can contribute to bring about innovation in coping with complex urban
problems
For the first aspect ie the internal characters of the groups in both cases the ability to
activate and use existing networks and organisations has been crucial in order to gather the
resources needed for local action The different contexts and the different nature of the object
can explain the difference in such networks while in the case of FAS they were rooted in
local political activism (especially in the first phases) in the Darsena case the group was
based on professional networks and personal acquaintances In both cases networking has
proven to be crucial not only to gain support and enlarge the coalition but especially to
mobilise experts and technical knowledge which in the end seems to be the crucial resource
to innovatively respond to complex urban problems
As far as the build-up of a shared local identity is concerned both groups strongly identify
themselves with the object of their mobilisation (the rehabilitation of the railway warehouses
in one case and of the harbour area in the other ) thus overlooking broader urban questionsthis can be seen at the same time as a strength and as a weakness It is a strength because it
helps to selectively concentrate the attention and the various types of resources towards a
clear end and to create a meaning to help people make sense of what they are doing for their
neighbourhood but at the same time it is a weakness because it triggers forms of
appropriation which in turn can cause conflict and disputes with citizens or other
neighbourhood groups thus weakening local voice in the face of the Local Authority and
because it may cause a myopic attitude towards broader urban questions
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 811
983096
As far as the last point is concerned it is necessary to better investigate the real ability of
these and of many other local mobilisations in Milan of opening up new spaces of
possibility looking at the way they have built up (or modified) forms of relationship with theMunicipal Government and with the owners or the developers The two cases offer quite
different answers DarsenaPioniera in the end has not been able to interact with the
rehabilitation process promoted by the Municipality also because from a certain moment in
time the process has been linked up with EXPO 2015 therefore entering into a typical lsquostate
of exceptionrsquo which characterises the management of big events at the urban level It seems
that this state of exception together with the difficulties in gaining support for the project at
local level contributed to limit the political opportunities thus leading to a final failure of
the project proposal
The railway warehouses case is partially different even though it is still in a different phase
of the decision making process here political opportunities have been seized though a
patient activity of relationship building with the Municipal Government both at central and
at district level the Deputy Mayor in charge of Urban Planning accepted to play a mediation
role with the private owner because of the relevance of the area and also because the FAS
group has gained both visibility and trustworthiness at the same time financial difficulties
in a period of crisis make the future redevelopment process of such a large estate quite
uncertain at the moment
Finally it is possible to make some remarks about the impact that such mobilisations had on
the citizensrsquo groups themselves which are quite different they are at the same time
constrained to promote the projects at the centre of their shared identity and divided between
the need to cooperate with the Local Government and to preserve a political distance and
autonomy As we have seen both groups we analysed have chosen a cooperative rather than
an oppositional strategy towards the Municipal Government and the fact that their requests
have been met very differently is not linked with their attitude which at the beginning has
been quite similar
For the second perspective as we have seen Milan is characterised by diverse forms of
informal social action aimed at resolving public problems and in the last few years the
possible synergies between these initiatives and Local Government action has been at the
centre of local debate Public intervention on informal social networks can be quite
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 811
983096
As far as the last point is concerned it is necessary to better investigate the real ability of
these and of many other local mobilisations in Milan of opening up new spaces of
possibility looking at the way they have built up (or modified) forms of relationship with theMunicipal Government and with the owners or the developers The two cases offer quite
different answers DarsenaPioniera in the end has not been able to interact with the
rehabilitation process promoted by the Municipality also because from a certain moment in
time the process has been linked up with EXPO 2015 therefore entering into a typical lsquostate
of exceptionrsquo which characterises the management of big events at the urban level It seems
that this state of exception together with the difficulties in gaining support for the project at
local level contributed to limit the political opportunities thus leading to a final failure of
the project proposal
The railway warehouses case is partially different even though it is still in a different phase
of the decision making process here political opportunities have been seized though a
patient activity of relationship building with the Municipal Government both at central and
at district level the Deputy Mayor in charge of Urban Planning accepted to play a mediation
role with the private owner because of the relevance of the area and also because the FAS
group has gained both visibility and trustworthiness at the same time financial difficulties
in a period of crisis make the future redevelopment process of such a large estate quite
uncertain at the moment
Finally it is possible to make some remarks about the impact that such mobilisations had on
the citizensrsquo groups themselves which are quite different they are at the same time
constrained to promote the projects at the centre of their shared identity and divided between
the need to cooperate with the Local Government and to preserve a political distance and
autonomy As we have seen both groups we analysed have chosen a cooperative rather than
an oppositional strategy towards the Municipal Government and the fact that their requests
have been met very differently is not linked with their attitude which at the beginning has
been quite similar
For the second perspective as we have seen Milan is characterised by diverse forms of
informal social action aimed at resolving public problems and in the last few years the
possible synergies between these initiatives and Local Government action has been at the
centre of local debate Public intervention on informal social networks can be quite
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 911
983097
problematic (Schoumln 1985) if networks themselves risk to become ineffective and
inappropriate exactly when they are successful at the same time the combination of a
hierarchical principle with informal network action risks to cancel the positive effects ofinformality adding unnecessary burdens to the initiatives especially when they interfere
with political directions
A second aspect is specifically linked with the Milan political context the election of Mayor
Pisapia in 2011 (after twenty years of centre-right local governing coalitions) on an electoral
platform significantly based on public participation triggered expectations for more open
transparent and inclusive decision making processes In particular the former electoral
supporters organised into neighbourhood groups decided not to disperse after the elections
but on the contrary to remain in place in order to help the Municipality to communicate with
citizens and to strengthen public participation These expectations approaching mid-term
have not been completely met due to a number of reasons and this causes disappointment
and dissatisfaction especially among the most engaged and proactive citizensrsquo groups
One final remark which in turn opens up new research paths is about the overall
effectiveness of such fragmented and molecular urban action In a self-governing city like
Milan decision making runs the risk to be incremental and conservative as it may become
difficult to put forward new strategic visions if Local Government is not able to reframe and
tackle broader urban questions Finally there is a risk of capture of the public agenda by
individual and localised interests which can in turn negatively affect the public or collective
nature of the objects of local mobilisations
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1011
983089983088
References
A Balducci (2003) ldquoPolicies Plans and Projects Governing the City-region of Milanrdquo
DisP - ThePlanning Review152 pp 59-70
A Balducci V Fedeli G Pasqui (eds) (2011) Strategic Planning for Contemporary Urban
Regions City of Cities A Project for Milan Ashgate Farnham
L Bobbio B Dente and A Spada (2005) Government or Governance of Urban
Innovation A Tale of Two Cities DISP The Planning Review n 162 pp 41-52
D della Porta (a cura di) (2004) Comitati di cittadini e democrazia urbana Rubbettino
Soveria Mannelli
D della Porta e M Andretta (2001) ldquoMovimenti sociali e rappresentanza i comitati
spontanei dei cittadini a Firenzerdquo Rassegna italiana di sociologia n1
B Denters E Rose (eds) (2005) Comparing Local Governance Trends and
Developements Palgrave Macmillan Basingstoke
D Galimberti (2013) ldquoMilano ndash Cittagrave Metropolitana entre conservatisme et innovation
increacutementale au-delagrave du politiquerdquo Meacutetropoles 12
S Gullino C Pacchi (2012) Promoting environmental behavioural change cycling
awareness and civic engagement in Kingston-upon-Thames (London) and Milan Transition
Towns and Ciclofficine British Council-CRUI Final Report
P Le Galegraves (2002) European Cities Social Conflicts and Governance Oxford University
Press Oxford
L Leontidou (2010) ldquoUrban Social Movements in Weak Civil Societies Cosmopolitan
Activism and The Right to the City in Southern Europe Urban Studies 47(6) 1179ndash1203
May
A Melucci (1996) Challenging Codes Collective Action in the Information Age
Cambridge Cambridge University Press
F Moulaert F Martinelli S Gonzalez and E Swyngedouw (2007) ldquoIntroductionSocialInnovation and Governance in European cities Urban development between path
dependency and radical innovationrdquo European Urban and Regional Studies 143 195-209
Pacchi C (2008) ldquoCittadinanza a Milano Scelta democratica e trasformazione urbanardquo in
AAVV Per unrsquoaltra cittagrave Riflessioni e proposte sullrsquourbanistica milanese Maggioli
Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna
C Pacchi and G Pasqui (2011) ldquoUrban planning without conflicts The case of Milanrdquo
paper presented to the International Research Conference Planning conflict Critical
perspectives on contentious urban developments Berlin 27-28 October 2011
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano
8122019 149 Pacchi Citizensaeurotrade Initiatives in the Face of Power
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull149-pacchi-citizensaeurotrade-initiatives-in-the-face-of-power 1111
983089983089
R Putnam (ed) (2002) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society Oxford University Press
C Ranci (a cura di) (2009) Milano e le cittagrave dEuropa tra competitivitagrave e disuguaglianzeMaggioli Editore
SG Tarrow (2011) Power in Movement Social Movements and Contentious Politics
(revised and updated third edition) Cambridge University Pressugrave
S Vicari Haddock FMoulaert (a cura di) Rigenerare la cittagrave Pratiche di innovazione
sociale nelle cittagrave europee Il Mulino Bologna 2009
T Vitale (a cura di) (2007) In nome di chi Partecipazione e rappresentanza nelle
mobilitazioni locali Franco Angeli Milano