Territorial branding strategies behind and beyond visions of urbanity.The role of the fuorisalone event in Milan.

The interest of this paper concerns the relation between territorial branding strategies and the creation of urban “visions” tied to creative industries. The aim is to understand these relations through a focus on the role of the FuoriSalone event towards new spatial configurations in Milan. FuoriSalone – the annual event of the international Milan Design Week – was one of the triggers for the creation of new images for specific areas in Milan and the consequent branding process, establishing a network of attractive zones. But what is behind and beyond the uses and the perceptions that this new paradigm of visual images, languages and marketing tools is able to create? The paper offers an investigation around the dichotomies between the construction of brands and the urban spaces within an overlapping of physical configurations, social interactions, media representations and temporary perceptions