The design of urban quality: innovative community facilites in support of strategies of urban renewal a methodological proposal

2015 - 2016Currently, urban planning theory and practice is focusing on the renewal and enhancement of the existing urban settlements and no longer on enlargement and expansion of the city. Generally, cities are looking for the sustainable use of resources, paying particular attention to environmental and social aspects. The urban quality and collective well-being cannot be separated from the identification of a network, structuring of the city, of infrastructures and services that are not resolved in the themes provided by legislation. In fact, the characteristics, that transform a place into a liveable area, derive from a set of tangible and intangible urban endowments, that evolve continuously according to their type. Without a balance between the built environment and the consequent urban facilities and services, which are named as Standard Urbanistici (Urban Standards) by the Italian legislation, a town can go into crisis. In Italy, almost fifty years on from the issue of the Decree on the Urban Standards (DI no.1444/1968), currently in force, the problems relating to their planning are unresolved and, moreover, exacerbated: application methods, criteria for the users computing, land acquisition processes, raising funding to move from planning to implementation and management of the infrastructures. Noting the failure of attempts to define, a priori, a quantity of universally valid services, it is necessary to rethink the strategies and criteria for the provision of infrastructure. In order to meet the real needs of local communities, which are continuously changing, elastic and flexible facilities must be coupled also with a change in the method for their determination and verification. Consequently, a need for the redefinition of tools to interpret the social dynamics and to ensure and assess a changed concept of urban and environmental quality can be revealed, through the identification of innovative equipment and services. “The Urban Standards are and will be those specific services and facilities which the local community, over time, recognizes as basic and essential for the balanced structuring of the territory, and that are standard, i.e. constant, for its management” (Lr Lombardia no.01/2001). From an initial analysis of the current situation, on the basis of technical references, and from the best practices on services planning, a methodology was developed to evaluate the system of urban standards quantitatively and qualitatively, in order to fully understand what the priorities are and the benefits they can bring. The intent of the methodology is to define an innovative tool to support land use decisions and to implement the planning of services (Piano dei Servizi). From the application to the planning of services of different techniques, tools and models belonging to different disciplines, the methodology has been defined and integrated into the practice of traditional urban planning, thus becoming also a regeneration tool of the urban system. The methodology has been tested in various municipal systems, producing significant results, reflecting the identity of the places and their morphological, social, cultural and economic features. The conclusion of the work also tracks possible future developments, which can turn to an operational simplification of the methodology in order to guide the definition of legislation for new services planning. [edited by author]Attualmente, le teorie e le pratiche di pianificazione urbana pongono l’attenzione alla riqualificazione e valorizzazione dell’esistente e non più sull’ampliamento e lo sviluppo delle città. In generale, esse sono rivolte all’uso sostenibile delle risorse, ponendo particolare attenzione agli aspetti sociali e ambientali. La qualità urbana e il benessere collettivo non possono prescindere dall’individuazione di una rete, strutturante per la città, di infrastrutture e servizi che non si risolvono nei temi previsti dalla norma. Infatti, le caratteristiche che rendono un luogo in un buon posto per vivere, derivano da una serie di dotazioni materiali e immateriali, che si evolvono in continuazione per tipologia. In mancanza di un bilanciamento tra l’ambiente costruito e le attrezzature e i sevizi che ne derivano (quelli che vengono definiti “standard urbanistici”), la città va in crisi. In Italia, a distanza di quasi cinquant’anni dall’emanazione del Decreto sugli Standard Urbanistici (D.I. no.1444/1968), attualmente ancora vigente, i problemi in materia di standard sono, nonché irrisolti, aumentati di numero: modalità applicative, criteri di calcolo dell’utenza, procedura di acquisizione delle aree occorrenti, reperimento delle risorse finanziarie per passare dalla programmazione all’attuazione ed alla gestione delle opere. Appurati i tentativi di fallimento di definire, a priori, una quantità universalmente valida dei servizi, è necessario ripensare alle modalità e ai criteri da considerare nella definizione della maggior parte delle attrezzature. Con l’intento di incontrare i bisogni reali delle comunità locali, che hanno cambiato il loro aspetto, attrezzature elastiche e flessibili devono essere combinate anche attraverso il cambiamento nel metodo della loro definizione e verifica. Di conseguenza, può essere rilevata la necessità di ridefinire strumenti in grado di interpretare le dinamiche sociali e di assicurare e valutare un diverso concetto di qualità urbana e ambientale, attraverso attrezzature e servizi innovativi. “Gli standard urbanistici sono e saranno quelle attrezzature e quei servizi specifici che a comunità locale, nel tempo, riconosce come basilari ed essenziali per la strutturazione bilanciata del territorio, e che, sono standard, costanti, per la sua gestione” (Legge regionale lombarda, 2001). Da una prima analisi dello stato dell’arte, sulla base della consultazione tecnica nazionale ed internazionale, e le esperienze di pianificazione dei servizi, è tato possibile delineare, a partire dalle diverse sue componenti, un percorso di ricerca che mira alla definizione di una metodologia di localizzazione dei servizi, intesi in un’ottica innovativa rispetto a quella tradizionale. Lo scopo della metodologia è quello di definire uno strumento innovativo di supporto alle decisioni dell’uso del suolo e capace di implementare la pianificazione dei servizi (Piano dei Servizi). Attraverso l’applicazione alla pianificazione dei servizi di diverse tecniche, strumenti e modelli appartenenti a diverse discipline, la metodologia è stata definita e integrata alla prassi di pianificazione urbana tradizionale, diventando quindi anche strumento di rigenerazione del sistema urbano. La metodologia è stata testata in diversi ambiti comunali, producendo dei risultati significativi, che possono rispecchiano l’identità dei luoghi e le loro caratteristiche fisiche, sociali, culturali ed economiche. La conclusione del lavoro traccia anche possibili sviluppi futuri, che possono rivolgersi a una semplificazione operativa della metodologia per poter orientare la definizione normativa di pianificazione dei servizi. [a cura dell'autore]XV n.

Piano dei Servizi. Proposal for Contents and Guideline

As an endless melting pot of experimentation and innovation, cities must reorganize and retrain compared to the growing new needs. In the light of the actual urban debate, it can be useful to do an in-depth study. In fact, the quality of urban life and collective well-being cannot be separated from the identification of a network of public services and facilities, that organizes and structures the city. That network is not resolved in the themes of pre-school and compulsory education, public interest, green spaces, car parks and public interest, but rather has a wider variety of types. Noting the failure of attempts to define, a priori, a quantity of universally valid services, it is necessary to rethink the ways and criteria of most of the infrastructural facilities. The "Piano dei Servizi" is the tool for the implementation of a concrete policy of services for public interest, and it means the transition between a planning standard, in terms of quantity, in a standard that meets quality requirements. It represents a specific section of the urban development plan, which has to consider problems and shortcomings, and try to solve them by finding opportunities which physical locations offer. In this way a planning standard is not configured as an abstract quantity, but as the material composition of the urban plan, which results in a land use and land development proposal

Piano dei Servizi. Proposal for Contents and Guidelines

As an endless melting pot of experimentation and innovation, cities must reorganize and retrain compared to the growing new needs. In the light of the actual urban debate, it can be useful to do an in-depth study. In fact, the quality of urban life and collective well-being cannot be separated from the identification of a network of public services and facilities, that organizes and structures the city. That network is not resolved in the themes of pre-school and compulsory education, public interest, green spaces, car parks and public interest, but rather has a wider variety of types. Noting the failure of attempts to define, a priori, a quantity of universally valid services, it is necessary to rethink the ways and criteria of most of the infrastructural facilities. The "Piano dei Servizi" is the tool for the implementation of a concrete policy of services for public interest, and it means the transition between a planning standard, in terms of quantity, in a standard that meets quality requirements. It represents a specific section of the urban development plan, which has to consider problems and shortcomings, and try to solve them by finding opportunities which physical locations offer. In this way a planning standard is not configured as an abstract quantity, but as the material composition of the urban plan, which results in a land use and land development proposal