Urban redevelopment projects: virtuous examples in Italy

There is a lot of talk about urban regeneration, but what exactly is it about? Urban regeneration is “the remedy for urban decay”. Usually this term is used to enhance areas of the city that need a breath of fresh air. Above all, historical centres, abandoned industrial areas, old residential districts and undeveloped suburbs. But it's not just about that

Sustainable urban redevelopment: how does urban regeneration take place?

The objective of an urban redevelopment or regeneration action is to act on the restyling of buildings, squares and gardens.

The impact of these interventions on the community is also fundamental. For this reason, urban, or rather territorial, regeneration must be sustainable and make use of participatory planning, outside the box and projected towards the future.

What are the key elements for urban regeneration projects and policies?

Participatory planning involves the search for creative solutions to recognized and shared problems resulting from collective intelligence.

However, urban regeneration is only possible with forward-looking and somewhat visionary local administrators.

Urban regeneration examples: What are the urban regeneration interventions?

You can count many different examples of urban redevelopment and regeneration, in small and large cities.

Just think of the city of Milan, which in a few years has completely changed the face of numerous neighborhoods, which in a short time have become the most popular in the city.

The Isola neighborhood, home to the Bosco Verticale, NoLo and Naviglio Martesana are just a few examples.

Usually, the lowest common denominator underlying these interventions is urban reforestation. City green areas and urban gardens are recreated, through parks, gardens, green facades and green terraces, 50% of which live in metropolitan areas.

The presence of greenery in cities contributes to the improvement of citizens' living conditions. More clean air, less sun and a significant cut in pollution.

Urban redevelopment projects: virtuous examples in Italy

In Italy we have the virtuous example of Assisi. The village of San Francesco which is creating a tree register and has eliminated single-use plastic. Monterotondo, on the other hand, is making massive use of solar energy through 13 photovoltaic systems and the use of LEDs instead of traditional light sources.

This is followed by Casalecchio di Reno, a "recycling" municipality, but also Chieti and Mantua, which have distinguished themselves with their cycle paths.

Furthermore, the use of eco-sustainable prefabricated wooden houses is growing, especially in Northern Italy, for climatic reasons.

Sustainable urban regeneration projects: underground Naples

The city of Naples presents one of the most interesting redevelopment projects: the underground Naples.

It is a hidden area of the city where citizens took shelter during the bombings of the Second World War. Resurfaced after a fire, this area of the city immediately became a new tourist hub, much appreciated by the Neapolitans.

Urban regeneration and redevelopment project: Belvedere forest

Another important urban regeneration work takes place in the lower Salento, in an area called Paduli and includes 15 municipalities not surrounded by the sea. This area, a former forest that belonged to a noble family before 1860, was then returned to the neighboring municipalities and used as pasture or land to be cultivated by the citizens. The forest, called "Foresta del Belvedere", known for its enormous biodiversity, has suffered extensive damage due to the Xylella bacterium, with enormous economic and environmental damage.

This is where the Manu Manu Riforesta association comes into play, which aims to re-plant the forest with the original vegetation, to "heal" the area, reviving agriculture and tourism from a sustainable perspective.

Urban regeneration programmes: how to regenerate a city?

These interventions show how a redevelopment work can arise from a random episode that is not moved by nostalgia for the past, but by the desire to embrace new visions, sustainable and projected towards the future, to prevent crises or face them proactively. These cases must not remain isolated, but we must move on to a regeneration, both urban and territorial, which starts from the bottom and which is participated, involving the citizens.

Urban redevelopment and regeneration: how to find the necessary funds

For projects of this type, fundraising and non-profit local associations are often used. For fundraising to work, the proposing association must have great credibility and actively involve those who took part in the donation. The donor must se...