The paper shows the case of Palermo with reference to the theme of the costruction of the urban periphery by means of public interventions that have taken place after the second world war up to the seventies. The study is carried out from the experience of the two septenniums of INA-Casa (1949-1963) that are common to many italian cities and arrives to the self sufficient projects realized in Palermo, such as Zen 2 of Vittorio Gregotti in the northern part of the town.
The contribution evidences the distinction between the urban quality of the first interventions closet o the city centre and those that followed – built in the second septennium INA-Casa – which were built there where it was possible to find areas with a limited price. The interventions deals with the problem of the services and supporting structures that in many cases have not been created causing the transformation of these areas into emarginated sites from the growing city before they were inhabited.
Then some questions are posed on the meaning that these areas still have today, confusedly surrounded by a number of urban episodes not easily decipherable, requiring with urgency plans, projects and interventions
