Competitiveness and social cohesion in European cities

Since 2009

Working group: Costanzo Ranci (coordinamento scientifico), Roberta Cucca, Nathalie Kakpo, Lara Maestripieri, Fabio Manfredini, Agostino Petrillo, Rossana Torri.

The project forms part of the research that the Laboratory has been developing a number of years through the support of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, with the aim to investigate the relationship between the economic and social development of western European cities city.The have historically been characterized by a strong association between social cohesion and economic growth, which is now affected by the growth of social and economic inequalities, on the one hand, and intensification of new forms of urban segregation, on the other. The research investigates the relationship between different forms of cohesion and economic growth within specific urban environments, offering a selection of social and economic indicators and analyzing them in a static perspective is dinamica.Una first phase of the project focused on a quantitative aimed to compare 50 cities in Europe, while the next phase examined 6 cities and deepened some aspects of the relationship between social cohesion and economic competitiveness: the increase of social inequalities in relation to the specificity of the system of local production, the compromises between local interests to protect and ability to attract global flows of financial and human resources, new social morphologies emerging as a result of the globalization of their city, tensions and conflicts caused by ethnic composition of the population. Data and qualitative information was gathered on all these aspects and organized into four separate chapters in the volume published in 2010.

For further information:

(2008), Ranci C. et al., Social Limits to Growth: Competitiveness and Social Cohesion in the European Cities, XI Eura Conference, “Learning Cities in a Knowledge-based Society”, Milan, October 9^th-11^th.

(2009), Ranci C. (a cura di), Milano e le città d’Europa tra competitività e disuguaglianze, Milano: Maggioli Editore, Santarcangelo di Romagna.

(2010), Ranci C. (a cura di), Città nella rete globale. Competitività e disuguaglianze in sei città europee, Milano: Bruno Mondadori.

(2011), Ranci C., “Competitiveness and Social Cohesion in Western European Cities”, Urban Studies, 1-16, pre-print version, http://usj.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/03/10/0042098010394688.abstract

(2011), Cucca R., “Unequal development. Economic specialization and social inequalities in six European Cities”, paper presented at the Urban Affairs Association Conference 2011, New Orleans, 16-19 march 2011.

(2011), Torri R., “Emerging Residential Patterns and the Urban Regions. New spatial divisions? A comparison between six European Cities”, paper presented at the Eura Conference 2011: The City without Limits”, Copenhagen, June 23^th– 25^th.

Forthcoming:

Ranci C., “Social cohesion and economic competitiveness in six global European cities”, paper to present at the Annual RC21 Conference 2011: The struggle to belong. Dealing with diversity in 21st century urban settings, Amsterdam (The Netherlands), July 7-9 2011.

Download materials: 

Cucca R,. Urban Affairs Association Conference 2011