Urban regeneration through the territorialisation of social policies: Findings from the Microareas Programme in Trieste, Italy

Abstract

Urban regeneration is a process involving not only partnerships among different stakeholders but also a plethora of disciplines. In the contemporary local welfare framework, pathways of integration among different policy fields have been promoted and encouraged to address societal changes, particularly in more deprived urban areas. This paper reflects on the interplay between urban regeneration and welfare policies, dealing with the territorialisation of social policies as a key approach to establishing a local welfare framework for tackling the revitalisation of vulnerable urban areas. The paper presents a qualitative analysis of a local welfare experiment in the north-eastern Italian city of Trieste called the Microareas Programme, which aims to implement policy integration between social services and healthcare in fragile public housing. The paper highlights how social policies based on the welfare service provision of a local area can initiate a process of urban regeneration, even if it is not fully achieved. The aim of the paper is to foster a debate on the integration between welfare and urban policies in the context of regenerating fragile urban areas.