The company town palimpsest: space, life and politics in Dalmine, Italy

This article proposes a reflection on the company towns’ actual conditions, presenting as a case study an up-to-date and articulated reconstruction of the conditions of habitability in Dalmine, Italy. The research strives on the phenomenon of company towns not as a mere static historical object but as an object that has undergone many transformations during the last three centuries in step with the social, environmental, and economic transition of the Anthropocene. For this purpose, the research uses a mixed-method approach to trace the urban condition of the case study town using business archives from the Fondazione Dalmine, among others. Findings demonstrate that the industry’s role in the city has changed from a producer and supplier of social services and welfare policies to a supporter/contributor of high-level education and innovation, research facilities, and development programs. Dalmine is an interesting case study of a contemporary company town and can stimulate the discussion around the current role of historical industries in the development of the territory.