The regulatory framework and the historic-centre rehabilitation project

The component parts of historic centres have become fragile either as a result of neglect or through incongruent and incompatible extension and adaptation work. In the last century's "building frenzy" this kind of work was often carried out without any concern for the original features of town planning schemes, in the conviction that new materials and building technologies were able to master nature. In the course of the last century Italy promulgated an intricate, and in some cases excessive, set of regulations in an attempt to construct, transform, conserve and exploit the potential of historic cities. Unfortunately, the results were not outstanding and today we need to rethink them all if we are to reverse the abandonment of historic centres and make them "safe" again. In an effort to understand if what has hitherto been fielded is sufficient or if new strategies are called for, we have reviewed the technical measures issued over the last hundred years. Commencing in the 1960s, the rehabilitation of historic city centres began in earnest, but not, regrettably, before some underwent wholesale demolition. However, in a large number of cases such work only increased their fragility while in many others, especially as concerns small centres with traditional economies, no rehabilitation work was attempted, not even essential maintenance work, and thus their functional and physical obsolescence became manifest.