Safety, mobility and sociality in urban spaces during the health emergency in Italy

Abstract

During the peak of the health emergency, the crisis in Italian cities was of such gravity that many scholars hypothesized the overcoming of current urban models, both in terms of structural aspects and modes of working, of consuming habits and of being together.

Using the major findings of a sociological study, started as soon as the Italian Government announced the national lockdown, as a starting point, this contribution aims to focus on some problematic changes that emerged since the early stages of the pandemic. The study was carried out in three phases, each of them with specific surveys in order to delve deeper into certain topics from a quantitative and qualitative point of view. These topics are: 1) social interactions; 2) the use of urban spaces; 3) insecurity and trust.

The results of the study allow us, on the one hand, to capture a significant moment and highlight the need to reorganize everyone’s daily life affected by Covid-19 limitations and new rules; on the other hand, they lead us to a necessary reflection on the micro and macro physical and social contexts, within which the different daily routines had to be redefined. More precisely, the study reveals an overall fragility of the urban development model that has prevailed over the last thirty years, as well as the growing demand for social security. In line with other studies that have investigated the social effects of restrictions and physical distancing in cities from different perspectives, our study outlines a critical reading of the organization of urban spaces and activities during the health emergency in Italy.