Strategies and Policies for Relaunching Depopulated Small Towns in Inner Areas. A Human Scale Perspective

Il tema dello spopolamento delle aree interne e delle strategie per il loro rilancio è da qualche tempo tornato alla ribalta a seguito della pandemia e del conseguente periodo di quarantena che, tra le altre cose, ha messo a nudo le numerose fragilità dei grandi centri urbani. Dopo decenni di appelli inascoltati, all’improvviso sembra si sia scoperto quanto piacevole e sostenibile possa essere vivere nei piccoli centri delle aree interne e si ripropone, forse con più forza, una questione che era già al centro di alcune strategie e azioni sia a scala nazionale che europea. Ripercorrendo temi e problemi emersi nel corso del convegno internazionale “Un paese ci vuole”. Studi e prospettive per i centri abbandonati e in via di spopolamento, tenutosi a Reggio Calabria nel novembre del 2018, il saggio propone una riflessione sulle reali prospettive di ripopolamento di piccoli centri in aree marginali partendo da alcune parole chiave che dovrebbero auspicabilmente guidare i programmi di rinascita. Al centro della riflessione si pone il ruolo che il patrimonio culturale può avere in questi processi, nella prospettiva però di un significativo cambio di paradigma che inserisce la conservazione e valorizzazione di tali beni in un processo circolare che parte dal territorio (inteso come un sistema complesso dove processi storici, culturali ed economici si intrecciano con le pratiche sociali) e al territorio ritorna. Strategies and Policies for Relaunching Depopulated Small Towns in Inner Areas. A Human Scale Perspective The topic of abandonment has become more topical than ever in the last few months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, newspapers and blogs have been dedicating at least one article or editorial per day to the incredible rediscovery of how sustainable and liveable lockdown has been in hamlets and small towns in inner areas rather than in big cities. Thus, it seems that after years of unheard appeals from small local communities at risk of disappearing, rather than being a problem, small towns are now becoming important resources.Starting from the topics and issues proposed during the International Conference One needs a town. Studies and perspectives for abandoned or depopulated small towns, held in Reggio Calabria in 2018, the essay focuses on the concrete perspectives for the repopulation of small towns in inner areas. The perspective, which recalls the approach of the Conference, implies a more dynamic idea of repopulation, which involves the economic and social regeneration of these territories. Moreover, the purpose is also to verify if and how the enhancement of cultural heritage might play a significant role in hindering depopulation. In other words, the aim is to reflects on how culture may play a part within the broader economic and social strategies for the repopulation of marginal areas, including cultural heritage, which is the focus of the essay.The topic of abandonment has become more topical than ever in the last few months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, newspapers and blogs have been dedicating at least one article or editorial per day to the incredible rediscovery of how sustainable and liveable lockdown has been in hamlets and small towns in inner areas rather than in big cities. Thus, it seems that after years of unheard appeals from small local communities at risk of disappearing, rather than being a problem, small towns are now becoming important resources.Starting from the topics and issues proposed during the International Conference One needs a town. Studies and perspectives for abandoned or depopulated small towns, held in Reggio Calabria in 2018, the essay focuses on the concrete perspectives for the repopulation of small towns in inner areas. The perspective, which recalls the approach of the Conference, implies a more dynamic idea of repopulation, which involves the economic and social regeneration of these territories. Moreover, the purpose is also to verify if and how the enhancement of cultural heritage might play a significant role in hindering depopulation. In other words, the aim is to reflects on how culture may play a part within the broader economic and social strategies for the repopulation of marginal areas, including cultural heritage, which is the focus of the essay.  Strategie e politiche per il rilancio dei piccoli centri nelle aree interne. Una prospettiva a misura d’uomoIl tema dello spopolamento delle aree interne e delle strategie per il loro rilancio è da qualche tempo tornato alla ribalta a seguito della pandemia e del conseguente periodo di quarantena che, tra le altre cose, ha messo a nudo le numerose fragilità dei grandi centri urbani. Dopo decenni di appelli inascoltati, all’improvviso sembra si sia scoperto quanto piacevole e sostenibile possa essere vivere nei piccoli centri delle aree interne e si ripropone, forse con più forza, una questione che era già al centro di alcune strategie e azioni sia a scala nazionale che europea. Ripercorrendo temi e problemi emersi nel corso del convegno internazionale “Un paese ci vuole”. Studi e prospettive per i centri abbandonati e in via di spopolamento, tenutosi a Reggio Calabria nel novembre del 2018, il saggio propone una riflessione sulle reali prospettive di ripopolamento di piccoli centri in aree marginali partendo da alcune parole chiave che dovrebbero auspicabilmente guidare i programmi di rinascita. Al centro della riflessione si pone il ruolo che il patrimonio culturale può avere in questi processi, nella prospettiva però di un significativo cambio di paradigma che inserisce la conservazione e valorizzazione di tali beni in un processo circolare che parte dal territorio (inteso come un sistema complesso dove processi storici, culturali ed economici si intrecciano con le pratiche sociali) e al territorio ritorna. 

The Role of Heritage Communities in Local Development Processes through the reuse of Architectural Heritage. Some Examples in Italian Rural Areas

[EN] Over the last three decades, various initiatives promoted by the European Union concerning the involvement and empowerment of communities in recognising and creating cultural values have flourished. They include, for instance, the Faro Convention, programs for ecomuseums and community mapping, and have contributed to giving voice to bottom-up initiatives for enhancing not only so-called monumental architecture but also "ordinary" architecture and built and vernacular cultural heritage. In general, this approach has also contributed to focusing attention on the importance of local communities in local development processes. In Italy, the so-called inner areas are often characterised by ordinary and vernacular heritage related to rural or manufacturing activities. In these small villages, some local communities, also thanks to the Italian National Strategy for Inner Areas, recognised reuse of part of the vernacular local built heritage as a strength for the community itself and the broader context. Some cases have demonstrated that valorisation of architectural heritage is possible without creating  tourism-related facilities only (hotels, museums, etc.) but also creating services needed by "local" users that facilitate the everyday life of the place. In this perspective, attention should also be focused on heritage education and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge, which should involve the entire community at different levels, starting from experiences already in place in similar contexts. In this sense, a community can be intended as a broad concept, a constantly evolving process that includes the resident citizens and a broader network related to a specific territory. Through analyses of case studies, this contribution aims to propose reflections on the role of heritage community experiences in empowering vernacular architectural heritage and its wider context.Valiante, C.; Oteri, A. (2022). The Role of Heritage Communities in Local Development Processes through the reuse of Architectural Heritage. Some Examples in Italian Rural Areas. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 687-695. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1430468769

Pregnancy and Delivery in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (Hypermobility Type): Review of the Literature

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of connective tissue disorders which are divided into various distinguishable phenotypes. The type of EDS determines the potential obstetric complications. Due to the spectrum of clinical manifestation and overlap between phenotypes, there are no standardised obstetric management guidelines. Existing literature illustrates different obstetric management in hypermobility type of EDS, including uneventful term vaginal deliveries as well as preterm cesarean section deliveries. This paper discusses obstetric management of a woman with EDS hypermobility type. Cesarean section was deemed the most appropriate delivery method in this patient due to the possible complications including risk of joint dislocation and pain morbidity. No obstetric complications were experienced, and good maternal and neonatal outcomes were achieved

CD34 and CD105 Microvessels in Resected Bone Specimen May Implicate Wound Healing in MRONJ

Clinical treatment outcome of MRONJ (medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw) surgery despite radical osseous removal and primary closure healing still shows differences in terms of outcome and disease recurrence. The study aims to assess the rate of angiogenesis of MRONJ lesions in order to understand the impact of angiogenesis and neoangiogenesis status on MRONJ surgical treatment outcome. This is the first study correlating microvessel density with prognosis in MRONJ surgically-treated patients. The immunohistochemical expression of CD34 and CD105 in MRONJ specimens obtained from surgically-treated patients was evaluated. The most vascularized areas detected by CD34 and CD105 were selected and the microvessel density value of the samples was registered. Samples were retrospectively divided according to the clinical outcome of MRONJ surgical treatment, dividing patients into two groups, “healed” and “not healed”. Statistical analysis was performed to assess if neovessels could influence treatment outcome in patients undergoing radical surgery. In the examined cohort, this value was highly predictive of better treatment outcome after radical surgery of MRONJ. Understanding of angiogenesis-dependent factors deserves further attention as a future target for MRONJ prevention and therapies

Overview of Existing Wind Energy Ordinances

Due to increased energy demand in the United States, rural communities with limited or no experience with wind energy now have the opportunity to become involved in this industry. Communities with good wind resources may be approached by entities with plans to develop the resource. Although these opportunities can create new revenue in the form of construction jobs and land lease payments, they also create a new responsibility on the part of local governments to ensure that ordinances will be established to aid the development of safe facilities that will be embraced by the community. The purpose of this report is to educate and engage state and local governments, as well as policymakers, about existing large wind energy ordinances. These groups will have a collection of examples to utilize when they attempt to draft a new large wind energy ordinance in a town or county without existing ordinances

Digital Recording of Historical Defensive Structures in Mountainous Areas Using Drones: Considerations and Comparisons

Digital recording of historic buildings and sites in mountainous areas could be challenging. The paper considers and discusses the case of historical defensive structures in the Italian Alps, designed and built to be not accessible. Drone images and photogrammetric techniques for 3D modeling play a fundamental role in the digital documentation of fortified constructions with non-contact techniques. This manuscript describes the use of drones for reconstructing the external surfaces of some fortified structures using traditional photogrammetric/SfM solutions and novel methods based on NeRFs. The case of direct orientation based on PPK and traditional GCPs placed on the ground is also discussed, considering the difficulties in placing and measuring control points in such environments

Data organization using gis for a more conscious conservation approach for abandoned sites

The purpose of this paper is to rediscover the abandoned village of Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni with new tools and modalities, providing an overall descriptive picture of the context in the framework of a pressing marginalization of territories subjected to depopulation and abandonment, and providing the appropriate tools for the definition of a possible future scenario for the village. The main novelty of this work is proposing alternative data recording and management strategies, preparatory to the definition of an actual project. The proposed strategy blends modern documentation technology and ICT processing tools with the consultation of more traditional sources of information, encouraging the adoption of a highly analytical structure in the design process. The paper, which brings a practical example, aims to support the implementation of interventions that are conscious, and targeted to the needs of future users and actors in the development of these places. Finally, the work aims at exploring the pros of offline and online GIS database in the case of historic sites through the development of shareable maps able to store multiple information