Scampia
Scampia is a peripheral district in northern Naples, Italy, covering about 4 square kilometers and housing approximately 39,000 residents according to 2011 census data from Italy's National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).[1]The area developed rapidly in the mid-20th century as part of post-war urban expansion, featuring large-scale public housing like the Vele di Scampia—a set of seven brutalist, sail-shaped blocks designed by architect Franz Di Salvo and built between 1962 and 1975 to address housing shortages amid rural-to-urban migration.[2][3] These structures, intended to foster community through innovative design inspired by Le Corbusier, instead became symbols of isolation due to poor maintenance, overcrowding, and inadequate infrastructure. Scampia has faced persistent socioeconomic hardships, with unemployment rates historically surpassing 50% among active residents and the neighborhood serving as a hub for Camorra-linked drug trafficking and clan violence, exacerbated by geographic separation from central Naples and limited economic opportunities.[4][5] Empirical indicators, such as elevated youth joblessness around 47% in broader northern Naples zones, underscore causal factors like deindustrialization and weak social services rather than inherent cultural deficits.[6] Recent regeneration initiatives, including the demolition of several Vele blocks since 2019 and the construction of new educational and green spaces, aim to mitigate decay and integrate Scampia more effectively into the city fabric, though challenges persist amid ongoing stigma and uneven implementation.[7][8]