Public Space Policies from Francesco to Ludovico Maria Sforza

This article explores whether Sforza’s Milan exemplifies significantly relationships between forms of power and the styles of configuration and use of public space in evidence in other Italian regions. In particular, it asks whether the projects devised and realised (often ephemeral ones) were one-off affairs or part of a wider strategy or plan. While there have been numerous studies on the age of Ludovico Maria Sforza, we believe that an analysis of the relationship between all the Sforza princes, their city, and its civic institutions can yield further insights. We examine the dukes’ influence in three different urban spaces in Milan, the capital city of the duchy, that sit in front of public buildings: the Piazza del Duomo (formerly the Piazza dell’Arengo), the Piazza del Broletto, and the Piazza del Castello.