The article focuses on different uses of the concept of social mix and on emerging criticalities of\ud its use as a planning principle by discussing the results of empirical research on recent housing\ud projects in Milan, Italy. Although the concept of social mix is generally represented as a tool to\ud improve the living conditions of disadvantaged social groups, the praise for social mix in new\ud housing projects may also be driven by the will of targeting the needs of specific medium–low\ud income groups considered functional to urban growth, and by the increase of real estate values\ud that it may provide. In urban contexts affected by a severe shortage of rental housing, social mix\ud strategies may foster the exclusion of lowest-income groups from access to social housing and\ud favour their segregation. Especially with reference to southern European cities, social mix risks\ud becoming a catchword with paradoxical effects in local policy agendas and the topic of mixed\ud communities becoming employed as a socio-political lever for developer-led, profit-making\ud developments

The traditional debate about professional groups has mainly focused on conflicts between professions and organizations, reinforcing dualisms and dichotomies. Few scholars have investigated the extent to which professionalism and organizations are intertwined while focusing on the case of professionals integrated into large organizations, and even less attention has been paid to emerging forms of organization among self-employed professionals. Taking as an example organizational trends among architects (liberal professionals) and management consultants (emerging professionals) in Italy, this article investigates how small, flexible, and (often) interprofessional organizations promoted by self-employed professionals are increasingly instrumental in overcoming market pressures and responding to emerging social needs in times of crisis and austerity.

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Limiting socio-spatial inequalities can be considered a decisive goal for a degrowth agenda. At different territorial scales, planning and housing policies have been crucial to achieve this goal, in terms of both reaching high environmental standards and framing the social reproduction of inequality. This article focuses on the implications, in terms of socio-spatial inequalities, of innovative housing solutions oriented to a degrowth agenda. It aims to answer to the following research questions: what are the socio-spatial implications of the most common innovative housing solutions that can best fulfil the degrowth principles/vision? How is it possible to ensure socio-spatial justice in housing projects inspired by a degrowth narrative? By analysing two cases of housing innovation in Vienna (qualitative analysis), we argue that many innovative housing projects, characterised by a degrowth narrative when it comes to the development of ecological and social practises, today show high level of elitism reproducing socio-spatial inequalities. However, we also argue that the role of local authorities can play a central role in up-scaling these housing innovations by ensuring higher level of inclusiveness.

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