Iper-luoghi e trame urbane: il ruolo dei centri commerciali nel contesto territoriale lombardo

Abstract Hyper-Places and Urban Fabrics: The Role of Shopping Centers in the Lombardy Territorial Context Moving from a reflection related to urban transformations that have occurred over the years the paper reflects on the generation of new urban spaces – which are configured as strong attractors, connectors, and diffusers – capable of encompassing various individual practices as well as the functions of a society as a whole. Assuming this framework, the contribution focuses on the role of shopping centers – with particular attention to the role assumed by Oriocenter in Lombardy (Italy) – as hyper-places. In fact, since the early 1990s, such structures have undergone profound changes, developing both through an increase in size and through a diversification of commercial attractors, promoting renewed flow trajectories and leading to increasing territorial complexity.