MILAN, Italy – Renowned architect Massimiliano Fuksas, known for projects like the Rho Fiera exhibition center and his distinctive “turrets” in Milan, offers a stark critique of how major global cities, particularly Milan, are evolving.
Cities are becoming exclusive enclaves for the wealthy, pushing out residents and losing their sense of community, according to acclaimed architect Massimiliano Fuksas.
Milan’s rapid growth mirrors global trends, Fuksas observes.
In Milan, construction over ten years has matched that of Piedmont and Tuscany combined. Fuksas questions the purpose and beneficiaries of this urban development.
For whom and for what is Milan being built or regenerated?
The architect laments that cities are increasingly attracting the wealthy while expelling those without resources. This trend, he notes, has been ongoing for some time across Europe. Historic city centers, once home to the poor, have seen their populations displaced and replaced by different social classes. Now, even middle and upper classes are being supplanted by platforms like Airbnb, eroding the sense of community.
The rise of Airbnb and the loss of community.
Fuksas describes a city where residents rarely interact with property owners, accessing homes via codes. He points to Milan’s Piazza Gae Aulenti development, spearheaded by multinational Hines, as an example of how wealth and global funds now dominate urban regeneration.
“The city is no longer citizens, it is no longer anyone,” Fuksas states, highlighting how residents who once worked in cities are now forced to live in surrounding metropolitan areas, leaving urban centers populated primarily by tourists.
Milan, like New York, caters to the ultra-rich.
Comparing Milan to New York, Fuksas notes that a house on Park Avenue can cost up to $200 million. With 1,200 billionaires globally controlling vast resources and employing billions, the scale of current wealth is immense and often incomprehensible. Even extraordinary individuals like Giorgio Armani, earning billions annually, are not considered among the truly “rich” in this context.
Public administrations struggle against economic power.
Fuksas argues that public administrations, including municipalities, lack the power to resist these economic forces. Their ability to influence urban development is limited, perhaps to creating student housing in the farthest suburbs.
Fuksas’s book, “It was a coincidence,” explores how wealth and power merged after the French Revolution, a phenomenon he sees echoed today with figures like Silvio Berlusconi and Donald Trump.
The fusion of wealth and power.
He attributes this shift to the merging of wealth and power, eliminating essential mediation. This global trend, he notes, was understood early on by Silvio Berlusconi and is evident in Donald Trump’s approach.
Fuksas identifies real estate groups and global funds from places like Qatar and the Emirates as the dominant forces in urban development, acquiring vast areas and shaping cities like Milan, particularly around Piazza Gae Aulenti.
Politics has little sway in guiding city growth.
With most Italians earning modest incomes, the cost of housing in cities is prohibitive. Fuksas sees little room for political intervention in guiding urban growth.
Funds have replaced traditional ownership.
“Speculators,” as they are called, have become the most powerful segment of society. These are the global funds that own thousands of apartments, often based in Hong Kong or Australia, lacking any tangible identity. He contrasts this with past ownership models, like that of Esselunga, where owners were identifiable individuals one could engage with.
- Cities are increasingly exclusive, favoring the wealthy and displacing lower-income residents.
- The rise of platforms like Airbnb erodes urban community by replacing residents with transient visitors.
- Global real estate funds and powerful economic groups largely dictate urban development, often beyond political control.
- A massive disparity exists between the wealth of a few and the needs of the global population.
- Despite challenges, there’s hope for change driven by social injustice.
Regulations are a facade against economic realities.
Fuksas dismisses the impact of landscape commissions or similar regulations as superficial when compared to the underlying economic forces. He recounts a conversation with a woman who controlled thousands of Manhattan apartments through a trust, unable to buy or sell independently, illustrating the abstract nature of modern property ownership.
The judiciary addresses symptoms, not root causes.
While acknowledging that the Milanese judiciary might uncover tender irregularities, Fuksas believes the fundamental issues are beyond such interventions. He points to Italy’s overwhelming number of laws compared to France or Germany, coupled with an outdated regulatory framework from 1942, as evidence of society’s inability to adapt to rapid changes.
Fuksas recalls his curatorship of the 2000 Venice Biennale, themed “Less Aesthetics, More Ethics,” which highlighted cities already experiencing these transformations, leading to environmental degradation and social issues. He championed architects like Paolo Soleri and emerging Asian talent, contrasting it with the Biennale’s current, more “sweetened” approach to sustainability.
Investigations won’t halt the urban development trajectory.
Fuksas is skeptical that investigations will halt the momentum of urban development. He believes such processes are temporary diversions, with public attention quickly shifting elsewhere.
The left’s challenge in a shifting landscape.
When asked about the role of the left, Fuksas, an architect, defers specific political commentary. However, he expresses optimism, drawing a parallel to the Gospel’s message of liberation. He sees the current system as the true “enemy” for the left.
Fighting the system is a continuous struggle.
Fuksas acknowledges past attempts to challenge this system in 1968 and 2000, expressing a commitment to not giving up. He believes that profound social injustice will eventually lead to change, hoping it doesn’t manifest as further conflict, given that billions of people serve a few thousand.
Cities will endure, but villages need attention.
Fuksas predicts cities will continue to grow, with 66 percent of the Earth’s population living in urban areas. Currently, he is focused on revitalizing villages, aiming to create public spaces like student centers.
He recalls a meeting with Nobel Peace laureate Shimon Peres in Gaza to discuss a peace center. Overlooking the sea from a building he designed, they contemplated future arrivals and the need to be prepared. Fuksas concludes, “We are dreamers, perhaps. But in the end, the world survives.”
