Contemporary Living: A Journey through Social Housing in Italy

Abstract

In interdisciplinary debate, though less so in political debate, it is now widely accepted that “housing” and “housing policies” can be used to measure the quality and scale of change in contemporary Italian society. The “housing question,” as it now presents itself to those who observe, study, and propose solutions, as well as to those who administer, govern, and formulate policies, makes it possible to grasp the different aspects of the profound transformations currently underway. This is in addition to the generally shared assumption, confirmed by the recent pandemic crisis, that housing is able, more than other spheres of social life, to reveal the manifestations of unexpected crises.

In this “journey through Italy” — Turin, Milan, Venice, Padova, Bologna, Rome, Bari, and Messina — accompanied by broader reflections by the editors on the new forms taken by the dimension of “housing” in all its complexity, the volume seeks above all to offer ideas and stimuli for increasingly interdisciplinary research on the topic. This research can contribute to a more coherent description of the different aspects of contemporary living, which are now far removed from the needs and solutions imposed by rationalist thought and functionalist practices, and therefore to the formulation of social housing policies that better correspond to the needs of a society undergoing rapid and profound change.