Area conservation as socialist standard bearer: a plan for the historical centre of Bologna in 1969

In 2009 the Plan for the Historical Centre of Bologna celebrates its 40th anniversary. This occasion offers an opportunity to start a critical reflection about the Plan’s content and methodology and about the outcome of its applications in the urban setting. The conservation of the entire historical centre, intended as an “unique monument”, due to the homogeneity of its physical and socio-cultural values, was based on a careful philological reading, regarding the existing buildings, and was directed to coordinate the public intervention with the private one. It consisted of the production within the historical centre of new/rehabilitated housing and, at the same time, in the enhancement of management facilities, consistent with the historical-environmental structure, including University, craftsmanship, recreational and representative functions, together with their location within the historical containers. According to this significance, the intervention played a “social” role, as an expression of political power, being in a position to preserve, together with buildings, a cross-section of society including residents with low incomes, following an absolutely innovative procedure during those years in Italy, and maybe in Europe too, which tried to combine consistently urbs and civitas.