Disused production areas. Regeneration Proposals in the Veneto and Emilia Regions, Italy.

This paper discusses the theme of the urban regeneration of historic Italian centers using the university teaching experience at the Faculties of Engineering of Padua and Bologna Universities as a starting point. The methodology compares small to medium sized urban environments in the Po Basin, the most dynamic area of Italy socially and economically speaking. The case studies concern three walled medieval cities: Cento in the Region of Emilia-Romagna, and Portobuffolè and Soave in the Region of the Veneto. They are all urban areas conditioned by a complex landscape which testifies to an uninterrupted building and civil tradition, rich in cultural, community, and economic relationships. The towns are analyzed in the light of post-industrial expansion and the effects produced by the 2012 earthquake. The practical methodological planning references are founded on urban and construction morpho-typological studies and the principles of urban composition. The project guidelines are based on the constant verification of the methodological and logical planning instruments of the process (“problem solving”) with an operational attitude paying close attention to the quality of the space. Results expected: the investigation constitutes the starting point for the formulation of innovative formal proposals that involve the theme of "forma urbis” according to methods respecting the consolidated urban “fabric”. The project aims to research the “civil splendor” that incorporates tension, beauty, and functionality into a strong collective identity.