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

Presentazione

Reuse of historical buildings is a controversial topic as it involves transformations of, and possible changes to, historical buildings, which are often considered immutable. What happens if, instead, one considers a historical building as an “open work”? -  As such, a project of conservation, which frequently includes re-use of the building,  therefore becomes a process to manage potential unavoidable transformations?    This question is the starting point of the research here presented on the topic L’architettura come “opera aperta”. Il tema dell’uso nel progetto di conservazione. The main idea of the author, who elaborated this study during his PhD Course, is that it is possible to manage the potential transformations which a project of reuse could involve, using semiotics to understand, explain and preserve all the values (stratifications and traces over time) that it holds. It is an original point of view – which however is not without risks – that considers the project of reuse and conservation as a great opportunity to understand and protect the richness and complexity of historical buildings and also to connect the past (the historical building itself) and the future (the new function of it)

Viollet-le-Duc, l’Ottocento e noi

The essay introduces the book Viollet-le-Duc and the nineteenth-century, which in part gathers together the results of the study-day on Viollet-le-Duc La Nostalgia delle origini. Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc e la percezione del Medioevo nell’Ottocento (University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 7 May 2014). The essay also proposes some reflections on the significance of celebrations of the past – in this case, the bicentenary of Viollet-le-Duc’s birth – for the future. In the first part, starting with the analyses of the initiatives dedicated to Viollet on this occasion, the study investigates less known aspects of the complex personality of the French architect: his visionary attitude, which, in some cases, prevails on the rationalist approach to architecture. It also underlines the actuality of Viollet-le-Duc’s contribution in the definition of theoretical and practical aspects in architecture. Despite the improvement of studies dealing with his complex personality, he is still wrongly confined in the “narrow circle of restoration”.In the second part of the study, describing the contents of the book, the essay investigates the relationship between Viollet-le-Duc and 19th century culture, trying to highlight how our controversial relationship with that time, significantly influences our interpretation of Viollet-le-Duc’s theoretical and practical work. The essay introduces the book Viollet-le-Duc and the nineteenth-century, which in part gathers together the results of the study-day on Viollet-le-Duc La Nostalgia delle origini. Eugène EmmanuelIl saggio introduce il volume Viollet-le-Duc e il XIX secolo, che mette insieme gli esiti della giornata di studio “La nostalgia delle origini. Viollet-le-Duc e la percezione del Medioevo nell'Ottocento” (Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, 7 maggio 2014). Il saggio, inoltre, propone alcune riflessioni sul significato delle celebrazioni del passato – in questo caso, il bicentenario della nascita di Viollet-le-Duc – per il futuro. Nella prima parte, muovendo da inchiesta delle iniziative dedicate a Viollet in questa occasione, l'autrice esamina alcuni degli aspetti meno noti della complessa personalità dell'architetto francese: la sua propensione alla visionarietà che, in alcuni casi, prevale sull'approccio razionalista verso l'architettura. Questo aspetto, inoltre, evidenzia l'attualità del contributo di Viollet-le-Duc nella definizione degli aspetti teorici e pratici nell'architettura. Nonostante la crescita del numero degli studi che si sono confrontati con la sua complessa personalità, Viollet è ancora erroneamente confinato nel «cerchio stretto del restauro»

L’insostenibile fascino dei borghi. Primi dati e una riflessione sugli esiti del bando “Attrattività dei borghi storici”

The essay focuses on the results of the strategy “Attrattività dei borghi storici” (Historical small centres attractiveness), funded by the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC) within the resources allocated by the European Parliament (Next Generation Europe program) for the National Plans for Recovery and Resilience of the member states (PNRR). The essay presents the first, mainly quantitative results of the initiative which, even if the experience is still ongoing, offers the opportunity to reflect on the new tendencies in Europe towards the policies for social cohesion and social inequalities decrease. As it is well-known, these policies have the main purpose of rescuing inner territories at risk of abandonment looking at them as important reservoir of resources to be revived rather than “places to be saved”. After a general framework of the topic in the first part, the essay then analyses the results of the so-called “Bando Borghi” whose main characteristics are synthetically described in the second part of the paper. In particular, in the essay the results of the socalled “Linea B”, addressed to the small towns with less than 5000 inhabitants, are examined. The analyses is based on the quality of the project that were presented, but also on three parameters: the participation, the resources allocation, and the distribution of the selected projects in the national territory. Some final reflections about the initiatives conclude the paper.Il saggio indaga gli esiti dell’azione “Attrattività dei borghi storici”, finanziata dal Ministero della Cultura italiano (MiC), nell’ambito delle risorse stanziate dal parlamento europeo entro il programma Next Generation Europe e destinate ai Piani Nazionali di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) degli stati membri. Si tratta di una prima ricognizione, per lo più quantitativa, che seppure fotografi programmi ancora in fase di attuazione, offre la possibilità di riflettere su quanto queste iniziative tengano conto dei significativi cambi di passo attuati dall’Unione Europea negli ultimi anni rispetto alle politiche di coesione e di contrasto alle disuguaglianze sociali. Com’è noto, si tratta di strategie che pongono tra gli obiettivi fondamentali il riscatto dei territori interni, a rischio di spopolamento, cui si guarda non più come a “luoghi da salvare”, ma a territori che custodiscono importanti risorse da riattivare.Ad una prima parte di inquadramento della tematica, fa seguito l’analisi dei risultati del cosiddetto “Bando Borghi” che viene sinteticamente riassunto. In particolare, nel testo vengono considerate le risultanze della cosiddetta linea B dedicata ai progetti di rivitalizzazione dei comuni con popolazione inferiore a 5000 abitanti. Le dimensioni analizzate sono quelle della partecipazione, della allocazione delle risorse e della distribuzione dei progetti vincitori nei diversi territori, oltre alla qualità delle domande ricevute. Alcuni tra i possibili commenti a latere dell’iniziativa concludono il lavoro

Presentazione

Reuse of historical buildings is a controversial topic as it involves transformations of, and possible changes to, historical buildings, which are often considered immutable. What happens if, instead, one considers a historical building as an “open work”? As such, a project of conservation, which frequently includes re-use of the building, therefore becomes a process to manage potential unavoidable transformations? This question is the starting point of the research here presented on the topic L’architettura come “opera aperta”. Il tema dell’uso nel progetto di conservazione. The main idea of the author, who elaborated this study during his PhD Course, is that it is possible to manage the potential transformations which a project of reuse could involve, using semiotics to understand, explain and preserve all the values (stratifications and traces over time) that it holds. It is an original point of view – which however is not without risks – that considers the project of reuse and conservation as a great opportunity to understand and protect the richness and complexity of historical buildings and also to connect the past (the historical building itself) and the future (the new function of it)

The social dimension of architectural heritage reuse. Theoretical reflections about a case study in Campania Region

Negli ultimi decenni, la crescente preoccupazione circa gli effetti del consumo di suolo, unita a una maggiore consapevolezza nei confronti del ruolo del patrimonio culturale per uno sviluppo territoriale sostenibile, hanno spinto ad assegnare una crescente importanza al tema del riuso del patrimonio architettonico. Tuttavia, la complessità delle scelte di riuso richiede la definizione di strumenti opportuni che, muovendo da una profonda conoscenza del bene oggetto di studio, siano in grado di supportare la definizione e la valutazione di alternative di riuso. Inoltre, come suggerito dai documenti ufficiali in materia di conservazione del patrimonio, la complessità del tema richiede una necessaria apertura alla dimensione sociale nelle decisioni per il riuso. Sulla scorta di tali premesse, il presente contributo mira a approfondire la questione del riuso del patrimonio architettonico attraverso l’adozione di una duplice prospettiva: teorica e metodologica. Nello specifico, esso muove da riflessioni di carattere teorico sul tema del riuso, riprese dal dibattito scientifico in materia di conservazione. Esse, infatti, costituiscono la lente attraverso cui analizzare le diverse metodologie definite per la valutazione di progetti di riuso alternativi, dando rilievo all’impatto sociale degli stessi. Le precedenti riflessioni sono maggiormente messe a fuoco attraverso un caso studio, identificato nella scelta della alternativa di riuso più idonea per il monastero del Ritiro del Carmine in Mugnano di Napoli, in Campania. Infine, le implicazioni di un simile approccio al tema del riuso sono discusse, mettendone in evidenza il ruolo strategico per la conservazione del patrimonio, nonché i margini di miglioramento

The role of architectural heritage in the National Strategy for Inner Areas: evidence from the project areas

In Italy, cultural heritage's importance for territorial development doesn't seem to find reflection in the public funding program with the consequent rise of several issues. These issues become even more relevant in marginal territorial contexts, where it is crucial to support public spending orientation appropriately. To this aim, a comprehensive knowledge frame of the public sphere's intervention approach to architectural heritage is a fundamental precondition. Based on these premises, the paper aims to define a geo-referenced database of architectural heritage interventions in the frame of the main national policy for marginal territories: the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI). After introducing the "inner areas" issue, the paper preliminarily investigates the role assigned to architectural heritage in the SNAI's first cycle. This investigation highlights the emerging themes that guide the construction and interpretation of the geo-referred database, which provides a reference to identify specific criticalities or "virtuous" realities and can represent a knowledge basis to assess funded interventions' possible contribution to local development

The ruins of the Castle of Conti D’Aquino in Belcastro (Catanzaro, Italy). Conservation, reuse and accessibility

The castle of Belcastro (Catanzaro, Italy) is an interesting palimpsest of typologies, constructive and defence techniques, and also for repair and restoration, which documents the transformations of the fortification from the origin – probably the 13th century – up to the recent works of restoration. Built on the upper part of a small historical centre, the castle is the most important attraction and, with its massive Donjon, it overlooks the valley, characterizing a landscape which is rich in fortifications. The essay traces the phases of the project of conservation promoted in 2005 by the local administration in collaboration with the University of Reggio Calabria. The main purpose of the project, which is now almost complete, is to integrate the technical tools and methods for conservation of the ancient structures with the strategies for the reuse of the fortification, fully respecting what remains of the original construction. By preserving all the traces of the past, the project enhances the history of the castle and, at the same time, tries to solve relevant problems of stability of the structures, particularly of the bailey, adopting reversible and non-invasive techniques for the reinforcement of the masonry. The same strategy is adopted to solve the difficult problem of accessibility to the Donjon with the use of removable elements