A classification of Italian makerspaces. Between reuse and potential regeneration

Abstract

The contribution analyses "A classification of Italian makerspaces. Between reuse and potential for regeneration", with attention to the context, reading tools and the implications for policies. The relationships (frequently evoked) between makerspace and processes of innovation and urban and territorial regeneration are not demonstrated by the empirical analysis so far carried out by the research of the Politecnico di Milano. distorted effects are however recognized in a second form of “urbanity” represented by Italian makerspaces: that is, in the production of self-referential enclaves, destined to an exclusive elite of knowledge workers – united by conditions of social proximity (77% of respondents), cognitive (54%) and organizational (46%) – but unable to offer lasting remedies to the precariousness of freelancers. For example, by bringing together the fragmentation, sectorality and occasionality of the initiatives so far promoted in the wake of a broader reflection and a multi-scale vision of the relationship between new economies and urban and regional development. It is in such a horizon that the necessary consolidation and rooting of the activities of makerspace so far started, also with reference to public services, multi-utility companies and existing production platforms should be inserted.

Keywords

Italy; Local authorities; urban economy; innovation; human capital; Industrial policy

JEL codes

R58; R11; O31