Promoting Territorial Cultural Systems through Urban Planning

Abstract

Europe is a land of ancient urbanization where nature and culture of places are inextricably intertwined, defining real territorial cultural systems. After the era of a hurried expansion of the cities linked to the industrial revolution, in the height of the digital era, urban planning finds the key to understanding space in cultural heritage. In a European territory that appears increasingly distinct between metropolitan and inner areas, both cultural heritages play an essential role in defining the paradigms of self-sustainable development that urban planning declares to promote. This is the basic assumption that the paper proposes starting from the analysis of the relationship between historic centers and natural landscapes, in search of a different use of the land, reversible, respectful of the environment but still capable of being the physical support for anthropogenic transformations and the productions of economy and life. Starting from a rereading of the relationship between cultural heritage and territorial systems, the paper elaborates a different vision of the historic centers as epicenters of possible economic networks and ecosystem services, based on the analysis of Italian and Eastern Europe experiences.

Coming to grips with diverse voices in participatory heritage initiatives

“…In Italy's guiding legislative text of heritage policy, Codice dei Beni Culturali e del Paesaggio (Landscape and Cultural Heritage Code), there are two words equivalent to the English word "heritage": patrimonio and bene (or its plural form beni). Patrimonio, deriving from Latin pater (father) and munus (duty), has strong indications of "property" and "patrilineal inheritance" (Herzfeld 2009(Herzfeld : 3, 2015Rotondo 2020). Bene (or beni) means "goods, assets", and the phrase "beni culturali" is sometimes translated as "cultural assets" or "cultural goods" rather than "cultural heritage", implying a sense of economic value.…”

“…Magnaghi's territorialist approach to heritage is well acclaimed among Italian scholars who seek to innovate heritage theories and practices while seeking wisdom from Italian cultural traditions (Rotondo 2020;Selicato 2016). This approach has inspired the reforms of heritage management in many places in Italy (though often not fully implemented), at both regional and local levels (Colavitti et al 2018;Rizzo 2016).…”

“…Partly out of the rising public appeal, partly out of the institutions' wish to justify their legitimacy, favourable changes can be seen in various spheres: numerous municipalities have increasingly begun to enact citizen participatory regulations (Colavitti et al 2018;Larcher et al 2013;Monno and Khakee 2012); the participatory framework proposed by the Territorial School scholars (Magnaghi 2005; see the proposal of the Charter of New Municipium in Magnaghi et al 2002) is increasingly advocated by regional landscape planners and heritage practitioners (Colavitti et al 2018;Rotondo 2020); ecomuseological ideas and practices have become institutionalised in various regions (Baratti 2012;Broccolini and Padiglione 2011;Rossi 2011).…”