SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF URBANIZATION PATTERNS: THE CASE OF LAND USE AND POPULATION DENSITY IN THE MILAN METROPOLITAN AREA

Abstract

Efficiency in the provision of some large‐scale services motivates the administrative coordination of the urban functions at a more aggregate level. In Italy, the Metropolitan City (MC) has recently been introduced as an effective intermediate level between the region and the municipalities, to accommodate the integrated management of urban functions characterized by a broad spatial scope. The case of the Milan MC provides an opportunity for reflection on the extent to which the MC design should be envisioned, considering the urban morphology of an area. We analyze the patterns of urbanization, measured with population density and the share of urbanized area, considering the territories of the enlarged Milan metropolitan area, which includes the MC municipalities and of a contiguous province. The area under study can be considered a spatial continuum in which urbanization is markedly shaped by a core‐periphery pattern. We conclude that the MC design should have included all of the territories of the enlarged Milan metropolitan area, which are clearly interconnected with the Milan economy.