A Portrait of the Two South-Western Districts of Milan

Abstract

This chapter reveals the findings from the analysis of the social observations (both real and virtual) of two south-western districts in Milan. Specifically, two selected neighbourhoods of each district are covered. The selection was made possible after a first explorative phase of the districts and the possibility of collecting virtual information comparable with the real observations.

The product is four different images of the current situation in these districts, depicting a distinguished portrayal for each zone which can easily be connected with the general explanatory model elaborated in Chap. 5.

The ambivalent pathway traced in the first districts in Milan is perfectly visible also in these neighbourhoods: it could be the case where next to one problematic neighbourhood or street there is a tourist site, making the interpretations and the assessment of urban and social resilience practices always arduous.

Further, the relations and communications among the people (residents as well as outsiders) appear to be dominated by a diffusive conflictual pattern, especially if we refer to the strong relationship between the residents, the municipality and the law enforcement agencies: in this case, the involvement of the far-left movement needs to be taken into account.

The final findings are worthwhile to confirm the applicability of the model regarding the theoretical framework of sociological seeds for terrorism prevention, which need to be further investigated after the consideration of the general situation of the nine districts in Milan.