The Brera Picture Gallery presented Makno research analyzing the economic, social and cultural impact of the so-called Grande Brera, the cultural and scientific system that has been consolidated in Milan since the opening of Palazzo Citterio. The complex, which includes the Brera Picture Gallery, Palazzo Citterio, the Braidense National Library, the Brera Academy, the Astronomical Observatory, the Botanical Garden and the Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere, is described as an integrated hub capable of generating value at multiple levels for the city and for the national and international context. The focus of the investigation is on defining and measuring the overall value produced by the reality.
The research combines artistic, scientific, educational, social and economic dimensions in an evaluative model that aims to quantify the impact of Grande Brera on the cultural and institutional system, but also on urban dynamics and investment attraction. According to estimates, the induced revenue currently generated is around 520 million euros, with a projection that, in the medium term, foresees a possible achievement of 1.5 billion euros.
“Confirmed my vision of imagining Grande Brera not only as a physical space but as a new way of communicating the uniqueness and strength of an extraordinary place that interprets the dynamism of Milan, Greater Milan and the Lombardy Region,” says director Angelo Crespi.
“The Grande Brera identity study defines the articulation of the structure of the new brand that is being formed,” concludes Mario Abis, sociologist, Makno director. “The mythical aspect remains but new attractive factors are determined that are connected to the enlargement and multifunctionality of the structure. This model has led to a first estimate of the impact value of Grande Brera, what in terms of economic chain it gives to its target territory. The final impact will be determined within a year when the flow of multiple audiences in terms of structure and motivations to visit is stabilized. Grande Brera in this model can be taken as an example of how a cultural structure becomes an engine of the virtuous enlargement of a city that is also a large metropolitan city, Milan, of more than 9 million inhabitants, among the top 10 in the world for quality and complexity.”
“Makno’s study,” says Angelo Crespi director general of the Brera Picture Gallery, Palazzo Citterio and Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, “certifies my initial vision of envisioning the Great Brera not simply as an expansion of the Pinacoteca’s physical space with theopening of Palazzo Citterio in December 2024 but also a conceptual enlargement, a new way to communicate with an innovative brand the uniqueness and strength of an extraordinary place that perfectly interprets the dynamism of Milan, Greater Milan and the Lombardy Region.”
The research adopted an integrated methodological approach: from the analysis of available data to the estimation of brand value, from the assessment of competitive reach to the definition of strategic lines for the protection and growth of the system. The work also focused on the construction of useful indicators to monitor the evolution of Grande Brera with respect to economic flows, fundraising policies and audience composition. One of the effects noted was the overcoming of the historical semantic ambiguity associated with the term “Brera,” which in the past indistinctly indicated both the Pinacoteca and the Accademia. The extension and reorganization of the pole have made it possible to redefine more clearly the perimeter and identity of the brand, which is now more legible and coherent than in the past.
The transformation thus produced a broadening of the functional and symbolic base, reducing overlap and confusion. The analysis took into account heterogeneous variables, including the artistic-cultural value of the complex, the solidity of its symbolic recognition, the expansion of relationships, and the system’s capacity for flexibility. Urban centrality, the coexistence of tradition and innovation, the identity function of physical places, the relationship with the metropolitan context, and the uniqueness of the brand itself were also considered. The resulting relational map contributes to strengthening the perception of Grande Brera as a distinctive hub, both in Italy and internationally.
The proposed model considers a plurality of audiences: from generalist and flow audiences to targeted and specialized audiences, from loyal audiences to tourist audiences. These are joined by businesses, funders and stakeholders of various kinds. The goal is to highlight how the network of stakeholders contributes to generating value and feeding the system from a multilevel perspective.
Underlying the economic projections developed by Makno is an algorithm that articulates the value generated through six levels, starting with the investments already made, particularly those involving Palazzo Citterio, and arriving at a measurement of the overall impact on the related economic chain. The current estimate of 520 million euros concerns the direct induced impact on the city of Milan, while the medium-term projection, taking into account an assumption of stabilization of public flows over the course of a year, brings the potential value to about one and a half billion euros. A further key proposed by the study is related to the definition of Milan as a “virtual metropolitan city,” a concept that expands the city’s boundaries in a functional and symbolic sense. According to joint data from Politecnico di Milano, IULM and Makno (2018), this expanded area includes about 9 million inhabitants. Culture is indicated as one of the seven main factors of advanced metropolitan development, and in this context, the Great Brera is recognized as one of the possible driving forces, capable of contributing to the competitiveness of the Milan-Lombardy Region system in the near future.
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| Great Brera, Makno research estimates 1.5 billion cultural induced for Milan |
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