Grasping the Fragility Aspects Through Spatial Inequalities Mapping. The Case of the Alpine Areas in Lombardy, Italy

Abstract

The paper will deepen the role of the map as a medium to visualize and recognize the fragility features of the marginal municipalities in Lombardy and included in the Alps Convention. Starting from the definition of marginality suggested by the Strategia Nazionale per le Aree Interne, which considers the access to essential public services as the main indicator, the study will map and analyze further data in order to understand the role tourism could play in the reactivation of inner areas. In particular, the paper will analyze and demographic (populations trends), economic (the average tax revenue and the entrepreneurship index), and tourism data (tourism and tourism-related business, beds capacity and concentration) and develop several cartographic representations (heat maps, bivariate choropleth maps and bubble maps). The graphical outputs should offer a different perspective over mountain lands with which identifying spatial inequalities, and recognizing fragility aspects. The identification of patterns and divergences among municipalities should help learning from data and finally recognizing which areas deserves more attention for the reactivation of the local social, cultural and economic capitals through tourism practices.