New living paradigms. A qualitative analysis of recent social housing neighbourhoods in Milan

Since house has become a mass consumption good, several researches have focussed mainly on affordability and repeatability of buildings and settlements, forgetting qualitative aspects related to cultural and building legacy of specific sites. Nowadays, following some important on-going changes in the demographic structure and social dynamics that are happening in many parts of the World, and specifically in Italy, we are facing a new trend which consider the housing policies as a specific part of the general welfare system that is now focussed concern-ing even less needy people (through opportunities given by “social housing” mechanisms for private developers to benefit of public aid). New paradigms for housing project consider envi-ronmental commitments and conceive the city as a “device set up to save resources”. The research (within the founded programme “For Rent. Addressing the gap between demand and supply of affordable housing” based in the Politecnico di Milano) proceeds from the re-view of some new social housing estates that have been recently realized in Milan. Design solu-tions of these new settlements seek to provide specific innovative living solutions. The research selects some qualitative parameters in order to present and analyse the most significant features of these new settlements. Some relevant aspects, among the ones considered, are: the relation-ship with the urban context and the openness of neighbourhoods to urban activities and social life (with a close consideration of public spaces features); the customisation of interior livings according to some peculiar needs in terms of privacy and social distinction; the typological research of building flexibility carried out applying different technological solution; specific targets and outcomes in terms of economical and environmental sustainability (with a precise commitment to the reduction of energy consumption); social activities that contribute to social cohesion and community building.