Progetti e proposte di Renzo Piano per il waterfront di Genova, 1981-2017

Abstract

Nel corso degli ultimi quattro decenni, le proposte di Renzo Piano hanno dato un contributo determinante al dibattito sulle prospettive di sviluppo della città di Genova che ha dovuto affrontare profonde trasformazioni urbane legate alla deindustrializzazione. Il contributo si occupa di un aspetto particolare delle proposte/realizzazioni progettuali di Piano, quelle alla scala urbana e per la linea di costa. L'unico progetto interamente realizzato è però frutto di una lunga riflessione culturale, istituzionale e politica. Le altre proposte, senza adeguato coinvolgimento degli attori locali sono naufragate perché troppo ambiziose o disgiunte dal contesto sociale ed economico, generando però attese, aspettative e idee.

Does Reduced Space Result in Fewer Rights? Controlled Shrinking in the Urban Renewal of Genoa

“…As early as the late 1970s, some reflections on the future of the city and its relationship with the port began to take hold (Ferrari, 2007). In 1981, six designers were commissioned to draw up proposals for the redevelopment of six urban areas of the city and the port (Gastaldi & Camerin, 2020). New facilities and functions were envisioned in old port spaces, as well as the demolition of some barriers between the centre and the port and the architectural and urban redevelopment of some parts of the historic centre (Tasso, 2015).…”

“…In Renzo Piano's project, Porto Antico is functionally reconnected to the old town and its spaces are repurposed for recreational and tourist use. The project involved demolishing and repurposing existing buildings and creating a spatial link between the medieval port and the old town by burying one of the city's crossroads (Gastaldi & Camerin, 2020). These projects were mainly facilitated by a renewed collaboration between urban planning and port management logics.…”

“…Between 2004 and 2008, Renzo Piano and the Genoa City Council proposed new scenarios for reducing the anthropic footprint and rethinking the Voltri and Foce-Fiera del Mare areas, known as Affresco. However, these proposals were abandoned due to local opposition (Gastaldi & Camerin, 2020). In 2017, Renzo Piano presented new, more scaled-down ideas for reshaping the city's waterfront, initially with the Blue Print project and later with the Levante Waterfront project.…”

Emotional scapes in Mediterranean port cities: Walking Barcelona, Marseille and Genova

“…On the whole, this process followed the trajectories of other port cities, such as Barcelona and Marseille, and involved the restoration of architectural heritage as well as the construction of a series of new buildings, with the objective of reshaping the cityscape, developing productive connections with the sea, increasing tourism and supporting the city in facing a series of major challenges towards modernization (see El Menchawy, 2008; Gastaldi, 2005). The restructuring included the construction or transformation of several buildings, some of which are now iconic, including the Acquario [aquarium], the Biosfera [biosphere], the bigo [a structure with elevators that directly overlooks the water] and the Galata Museo del Mare [Galata Museum of the Sea], the largest maritime museum in the Mediterannean area (see Gastaldi, 2010).…”