State rescaling and new metropolitan space in the age of austerity. Evidence from Italy. Issue 81 (May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Armondi, Simonetta
• Is Part Of: Geoforum. Issue 81(2017)
• Page Start: 174
• Page End: 179
• Publication Date: 2017-05
• Subjects: Metropolitan city -- State rescaling -- Austerity -- Italy; Geography -- Periodicals; Human geography -- Periodicals; Regional planning -- Periodicals; Sciences de la terre -- Périodiques; Géographie -- Périodiques; Géographie humaine -- Périodiques; Aménagement du territoire -- Périodiques; Earth sciences; Geography; Human geography; Regional planning; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 304.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2017.03.008
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0016-7185

Abstract

Highlights: Austerity implies a rescaling of public action. Rescaling literature is crucial in the understanding of the new metropolitan scale production. The stereotyped metropolitan city level overlooks differences between Italian cities. The narrow focus on metropolitan city neglects the multifaceted notion of the urban. The metropolitan scale can't be reduced to a public expenditure issue. Abstract: This article presents the changes that are emerging in the Italian national policies mainly through the discussion of the contents both of the recent metropolitan reform initiative, and the national programming documents for metropolitan cities related to European Programming period 2014–2020. In Italy, which faced severe political difficulty and economic stagnation after 2008 global crisis, the production of the new metropolitan scale became one of the tools for the implementation of austerity measures. The paper examines whether the understanding of the new metropolitan scale in the Italian geography of austerity can be strengthened through a careful engagement with the body of literature on state rescaling and on austerity policies. The paper illustrates how that the apparently neutral emphasis on metropolitan city scale, first can be understood as a crucial tool of an austerity measures; second, it implies a rescaling of public power and, third, it neglects the multifaceted notion of the urban and the trans-scalar territorial governance relationships.