Retail and public policies supporting the attractiveness ofItalian town centres: The case of the Milan central districts

Retail has modified the urban form and spirit, but it is also true that the city itself has influenced the commercial sector, transforming what used to be just an economic activity into a complex social practice, having different meanings and social and cultural functions. Retail is an important element of attractiveness of city centres, especially nowadays when consumers do not merely ask for products or services, but seek a more emotional shopping experience. A particular texture of small shops and stores has long characterized the economy of Italian city centres, playing a role which was (and still can be) much more complex and diverse than just selling products. To maintain or regenerate urban retail’s vitality in these city centres, it is necessary to look at the evolution of the entire sector, interpreting downtown shopping districts as part of an overall system. On the other hand, attention should be focused on those original features that are mainly related to the peculiar identity values of central urban areas and that are increasingly responsible for their competitiveness against suburban retail developments. In some central urban areas the concentration of shops, together with restaurants, bars and cafés, creates an effect of spatial continuity among retail fronts, capable of generating scale economies and able therefore to compete with suburban and out-of-town shopping malls. The process of innovation of urban retail is a result of the growing potential interest of the public actors, namely local administrations and not only private sector dealers.