Il benessere tra storia della città, ambiente e uomo nel periodo industriale. Il caso studio di Legnano (1880-1960)/ ‘Wellbeing’ between urban history, the environment and man in the industrial period. The case study of Legnano Town (1880-1960)

Contemporary environmental crises actively dialogue with the historical moment of industrialisation, where the disciplines of architecture, the city and human health were strongly interconnected. In the 19th and 20th century, modern architecture and town planning were in fact imagined with a view to mitigating the negative consequences of industry on health and well-being of the inhabitants. The historical industrial period has many similarities with what we are experiencing today, similar consequences we are facing due to the problems of climate change, the crisis of ecological sustainability, awareness of environmental policies or the increasing incidence of pandemics. The concepts of well-being and health have evolved a great deal over time, and this article sets out to use Legnano, an emblematic industrial town in the Alto Milanese area, to understand what the determining parameters for the definition of 'well-being' were then. The case study, limited in size but extremely representative of a more widespread situation, allows us to investigate some of the contradictions that existed in the relations between the city, the environment and man, highlighting how the concept of ‘value’ is variable and closely linked to a specific historical period.