Empowering urban resilience: Grassroots volunteering for a renewed shock-response governance in post-pandemic Milan

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical weaknesses in neoliberal urban governance, exacerbating pre-existing inequalities, poverty, and social exclusion. Public services in cities like Milan, Italy, struggled to meet growing needs, while traditional welfare systems appeared inadequate in addressing these escalating challenges. The study examines how grassroots initiatives, such as the Brigate Volontarie per l'Emergenza (BVEs, or Volunteer Brigades for Emergencies) evolved from informal volunteer groups into institutional partners and engaged in a successful response to the shocks generated in the city by COVID-19-induced measures. This transformation significantly influences Milan's crisis response and governance structures, thus enabling a renewal of community empowerment and urban resilience, from the bottom-up.

The research, based on semi-structured interviews, participant observation of volunteering activities, and researchers’ direct involvement in these initiatives, shows how Milan's integration of traditional governance with bottom-up, community-driven efforts has shaped a new collaborative governance model, characterized by adaptability, solidarity, and community empowerment. The study enriches the discourse on urban resilience by providing insights into the interplay between grassroots initiatives and institutional frameworks in shaping post-pandemic urban recovery.