Tutela, restauro e valorizzazione dei paesaggi urbani del Novecento. Il caso studio del quartiere EUR

In a general reflection on the protection, conservation and enhancement of modern and contemporary urban landscapes, EUR can be considered a paradigmatic case in several respects: for the presence of buildings designed by outstanding architects, but also for the overall quality of its open spaces and buildings (very different in terms of typology, style and construction features); for the important role of its urban layout; for the different protection conditions between over and under seventy-year-old buildings (very binding for listed monuments and very weak or even non-existent for the others), resulting from the long time span of construction (from the late 1930s to the present); for the coexistence of many owners, which compromises shared heritage maintenance, conservation and enhancement activities; for the need for a broad knowledge - from single monumental buildings to the whole urban context -, aimed at understanding and recognising the cultural and evidential value beyond the authorial aspects. Therefore, starting from the identification of some case study’s features, the paper intends to suggest some methodological proposals that can also be adopted to other modern and contemporary urban landscapes in Italy. In particular, the adoption of Historic Urban Landscape approach (according to the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation) suggests a different point of view to fully recognise the cultural values and meanings of these heritage ensembles and, therefore, to develop high-quality practices on 20th century urban landscapes. Universities play a key role: the research should inspire conservation activities, risk assessment, preservation policies, decision-making principles and the issue of consents and permissions for listed buildings. Moreover, universities should actively take part in the change management and lead the heritage-recognition process and the improvement of a shared awareness of 20th century urban landscape values, thanks to dissemination and civic engagement.