Milan City Council offers spaces in social housing for SME development

It’s a way to boost the economic life in the areas of social housing

There is a new call from the Municipality of Milan, which is looking for small-scale entrepreneurs to develop ground floor spaces in some of the social housing buildings in the city. In this particular case, the call provides 15 spaces, ranging from shops and warehouses to workshops and laboratories, available in different sizes and in different districts.

The call itself is open for applications until 18 March, however, the origins of the practice of providing such spaces in order to enrich the social and economic fabric of the social housing communities date back to 2013.

Businesses at the street level

The announcement, published by the State Property and Heritage Department, is aimed at micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which can present projects “functional to local development and the social cohesion of the urban contexts in which they are inserted”.

The offer to rent out spaces is valid for six years, with the possibility to renew for another six after that. The benefit here arises from the attractive rental prices. These are calculated on the basis of market values and then reduced by 10%.

For example, the 53 square meter shop on via Bezzecca (Guastalla district) is offered at 7,393 euros a year, plus expenses. The 91 square meters space on via Nikolajevka (Sella Nuova) costs 3,685 euros plus expenses, or the 145 square meter warehouse on via Appennini, which goes for 2,283 euros plus expenses. The permitted uses are for services and the tertiary sector, with the aim of creating "opportunities to raise the housing and relational quality of the neighbourhoods".

Since 2013 to date, the Milanese administration has assigned a total of 169 small or medium-sized premises to the lower floors in social housing districts through 22 tenders. 65 spaces have been awarded to micro and small businesses, cooperatives and self-employed workers. 104 were awarded to non-profits: from the ethical workshop "Zeropercento" on via Padre Luigi Monti, to the laboratories of the Paloma 2000 cooperative on via Consolini.