[hellerve]

I recommend visiting the Ecomuseo in Palermo [1] if you ever have the chance. They examine, among other things, the lasting impact of the subpar building of now mostly crumbling structures by the Mafia that still litter the cities of Sicily.

Yes, the mafia built housing, but it’s not the kind of social housing we might hope for—it’s mostly slum-like. Of course, the city of Palermo is also EXTREMELY densely populated—I read something like the fourth-most densely populated city in Europe in a magazine once, but can’t source that now, so take it with a grain of salt.

Nota bene: I’m not Italian myself; my wife’s family has their roots in Sicily.

[1] https://www.marememoriaviva.it/ (website only (?) in Italian)

[sparrowInHand]

Unpopular but, the south of italy is a middle eastern country, in all metrics.

[lou1306]

Unpopular? One of Italy's most popular historians likes to joke that, back in ancient Rome, any budding politician would have taken a post in Syria or Lybia over one in Gaul or (shudders) Britannia any day of the week. And every time, the audience just laughs and nods. The Mediterranean was a highway, not a frontier.

[HPsquared]

More like Greece, I think.

[pmontra]

Most of it used to be Greek colonies before Roman expansion, so yes.

[AngaraliTurk]

I've heard and read Greece being compared to the Middle East as well, more than one time.

[smsm42]

> but it’s not the kind of social housing we might hope for—it’s mostly slum-like.

It may be not what we hope for, but isn't it pretty much the same as what happens when the government builds it? I mean, the "projects" aren't exactly the shining example of what "we might hope for" either. It looks like this way of solving the problem is bound to fail whoever tries it - be it the well-intentioned government or the mafia.

[rufus_foreman]

>> it’s not the kind of social housing we might hope for—it’s mostly slum-like

If the alternative to slums is tent cities, I hope for slums.