City, impact, transition

The contribution analyses the impact of the Salone del Mobile.Milano and Milan Design Week on the city through four interpretative frameworks: experience economy, temporary organizations, design-driven innovation, and mega-event theory. Both events are classified as hallmark events — recurrent, high-profile phenomena whose identity is inseparable from the host city — generating economic, symbolic and relational value. Urbanlly, their effects are ambivalent: heritage activation and image enhancement on one side, gentrification and residential displacement in neighbourhoods such as Isola and Tortona on the other. Governance is polycentric and self-organised, with the Municipality acting as a light regulator through nudging. The authors propose a reward system to incentivise virtuous behaviour among public and private stakeholders, consolidating sustainable urban practices during the event.