Città storiche. Interventi per il riuso

There is general agreement about historical centers as the strongest and liveliest parts of cities despite their sensitivity to any transformation. Despite the labour of time they still perform thanks to flexibility in accommodating new uses in a given “Forma Urbis”. Hence, urban form incorporates matters related to the arrangement of spatial elements and key issues in achieving particular goals related to life experiences as well. The book traces some fundamental connections between methodological approaches, analytical, legal and technical tools and regeneration practices within the historical city. Reuse practices performed in a wide selection of case studies highlight two fundamental tendencies. The former draws on urban planning tradition and its wide range of codified knowledge, the latter tends to shape goals and objectives within the allusive dimension of the urban design. Both approaches need to promote a different working style, prompting a new attitude towards governance schemes and decision making processes. They require flexibility, even when managing issues referring to a regulatory tradition, such as zoning, or urban real estate practices.