Analyzing Fringe Belt Phenomenon in The Historico – Geographical Structure of Milan, Italy

Abstract

The object of this paper is to identify the specific land use patterns inrelation to a general framework of the fringe belts formation andmodification through the urban expansion of Milan, a city with solidItalian planning tradition, by defining strong characteristics and land usetransformations through comparative map analysis in a consistenttimeline period.Adapting the study of fringe belts, as signatures of the pulsations ofurban growth, and a reflection of urban space needs beyond those of theresidential and retail sectors, is pertinent as it contributes to understandeach phase of city alteration and urban growth and relate them toeconomic and political forces linked to the contemporary developmentof metropolitan areas. Applied adequately, fringe belt studies have beentaken in different parts of Europe, but few have been done in Italy. Thisresearch, as a comparative study of superposition data approach, hasaimed to verify the true development pattern of a city with dynamictypo-morphological transitions, with powerful industrial and servicesector shifts recently, strictly reflecting on the shaping of the overallurbanized territory.A general study of the urban evolution has been undertaken anddevelopment of the municipality has been observed with a focus on defining land use maps, and obtaining a comparative data analyzes byoverlapping and tracking land use transformations and expoundingfringe belt modifications through different expansion periods of theurban territory. In the contemporary city, fringe belts can play crucialrole as vast green open spaces for recreation and leisure, naturalboundaries from harmful industrial surroundings, as well as ecologicalcorridors and mediums for natural systems maintenance and naturalremedy to improve the quality of life and provide healthierenvironments for the overall urban systems.Adapting the study of fringe belts in a regulated conceptual framework,and referring them into the historico-geographical structure of the urbandevelopment could lead up to adequate planning and urban designstrategies that aim to improve the quality of life in contemporary urbanlandscapes.