A Hidden Informality? Informal Occupation in Milan: The Housing Needs and the Events of Protest

Abstract:

Over the last decade, the growing dynamic of housing needs, experiences of instability, crumbling welfare system, real estate crisis and the seeming intricacies of socio-economic policies have made the issue of informal occupation quite a hidden phenomenon in Milan city.  A city in which homeownership is increasingly unobtainable and high disproportion of overall economic incomes strongly affect housing choices and opportunities. The scarce resources and management difficulties in the public administration of social housing in Milan and the high migration flows have contributed to the lack of building maintenance, process and manifestation of informal occupation and the generation of housing evictions. People who are not eligible to enter in the lists for public housing, but they neither cannot afford to rent at market prices are also included in this issue, such younger people. In addition, this issue has become a trigger for strong social tension and conflict concerning the public institution, formal residents and informal ones. The generation of "without" have the feeling that their voices have not been heard, even through radical protest. The great mass movements, around the social housing issues, the collectivization of the protest have been passed. Now, in Milan remains disaggregated social mobilizations and atomized, those who protest have to deal always with unsustainable housing market prices and find adaptive housing strategies.

The essence of this study is therefore to show the critical issue of informal occupation in Milan, through a qualitative approach to deduce successes and weaknesses from housing policies that deal with this phenomenon, encourage unused resources as well as stipulating important hints for professionals. Through a desk study attempt primarily based on literature and secondary data, but also an informant data collection based on interviews.  The findings from the study revealed the need of changing welfare mechanisms, fragmented and isolated approaches to deal informal occupation, and lack of preventive measures.  The study proposes the need for new housing policies that considered sustainable funding, community interaction and private partnership, coalitions for economic and social development programs, and provision of flexible housing alternatives that recognize the demands of the territory and implement innovative forms over the limits of living in Milan.