14
Dec
2017
Social Mix policy: a Myth of Inclusion? A qualitative approach to the study of its social outcomes
with Manuela Maggio (University of Bologna - Visiting LISER)
12:00 pm
01:00 pm
For inquiries:
seminars@liser.lu

Abstract

In my PhD thesis, I investigate the outcomes of social mix policy, focusing on its premises and its real results. Social mix became one of the goals of the public policy that aims to diversify local population in order to improve the outcomes under many points of view of the whole territory, and to improve social cohesion between different groups of people. Currently, social mix policy has few certainties and it is completely unclear what the aim of the ideal mix is. Following empirical evidences of previous research, I consider tenure mix (as a marker of social mix) as a proxy to investigate the social mix. To this end, the study refers to the intra-building tenure mix, understood as the percentage of social units in a multifamily residential building. I distinguish several categories of tenure mix, considering different percentages of social units (that rages between the 10% and the 69%) to explore the relationship between these categories of tenure mix and social cohesion. Pilastro, my case study neighbourhood in the city of Bologna, is a complex and interesting laboratory for the study. This suburban area is characterised by both segregated tenure mix (different concentrated tenure status in different buildings) and integrated tenure mix with a “pepper-potted” distribution of multifamily residential buildings with coexistence of different types of tenure. Social cohesion, that is a sort of glue in the society, will be considered through a qualitative approach (semi-structured interviews). Several components of social cohesion will be investigated: common values and a civic culture, social order and social control, social solidarity and reductions in wealth disparities, social networks and social capital, place attachment and identity.

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