The essay presents an interpretative and descriptive, preliminary research on the spatial reconfiguration of new productive activities via local public policies in Milan. Against the backdrop of the ‘smart city’ framework, these public initiatives are aimed at trigger urban change in peripheral urban area, using empty flats and vacant buildings. After a brief outline both of the contemporary economic geography and urban policy in Milan, the contribution focuses on urban materials, emergent geographies, and potential place effects of this initiative, questioning the strategic weakness of the public action
Keywords: Milan; new productions; public sphere