|
The Operating Plan for Genoa's Historic City Centre
Context
The first version of the 'Operating Plan for Genoa's Historic City
Centre' was produced during the first three months of the year 2001
by the municipal offices, coordinated by the Civic Observatory -
the office in charge of the G.I.S. of the old town. Since the Plan
is an open plan, all the offices are expected to keep it current
by updating it.
Genoa, with its population of 650,000 inhabitants, is the largest
port on the Mediterranean and one of the most important Italian
cities. A city of port-related activities, Genoa is also an important
centre for shipbuilding, mechanical engineering, and iron and steel
industries. Over the past few years, a radical transformation process
due to the industrial crisis in the area has taken place in the
town. Important roles are now beginning to be played by the new
economy together with tourism and leisure activities.
In 1999, with the City of Genoa Strategic Conference, the town council
started a process which, through the 'Plan of the Town', will hopefully
lead to the transformation of the city into one where the creation
of new jobs goes together with better environmental and social conditions.
With regard to the historic city centre the transformation is expected
to produce a shift from a perceived restrained role for the entire
town to a new one of great opportunities for everybody. One of the
objectives for the historic city centre is, in fact, to gradually
remove all kinds of decay and to increase its livability, so that
the old town can represent the cultural image of the city and become
the hub of its tourist relaunch.
The Operating Plan for Genoa's Historic City Centre is one of the
steps in this transformation process. The plan in itself is a good
guide to the different policies already started - or about to be
started - by the city government in order to revitalize the historic
city centre. In this sense, the plan is very different from the
usual plans: in fact, this plan, far from representing hopes or
wishes, represents certainties.
The common idea behind the many policies aiming at the revitalization
of the centre is that the old town will not have to be very different
from the present one. The area needs, in fact, rehabilitative policies
which retain its special qualities: its general atmosphere, its
way of life, at the same time preserving the historic values, with
less physical, social and economical decay, together with more safety
and cleanliness.
Cultural Heritage
Genoa's historical city centre is known to be one of the most densely
built in Europe, a situation that started in the 18th century with
a general increase of building heights due to delayed growth of
the town outside the city walls. Such density has a profound effect
on the revitalization policies that have to take into account that,
at least from a sanitary point of view, a major part of the Old
Town is uninhabitable below the third floor. These conditions have
in turn affected the real estate values that are often extremely
low and have resulted in both a marginal use of the area and the
use of it as a reference point for all immigrants.
As far as the above-mentioned problems are concerned, the Old Town
of Genoa is quite similar to other very decayed historic city centres.
What makes the case of Genoa very special is that the area is no
longer the centre of the city. During the second half of the 19th
century a transformation occurred that breathed life to the new
city centre. At the same time, its varied population progressively
abandoned the historic city centre: the nobility was the first to
leave, then, little by little, everyone else. The most visible effect
was a population decrease from the 80,000 inhabitants at the end
of the 19th century to the current 20,000. The other major effect
was economic: since the historic city centre coincided with the
town, the shift meant also a rapid decay of economic activities.
Today the historic city centre is an extraordinary collection of
beautiful buildings but with a very poor perceived image.
So far none of the large projects to revitalize the old town have
succeeded except one.
These are then the problems to be dealt with. The different policies
put forward by the city government - and explicitly represented
by the Operating Plan for Genoa's Historic City Centre - will try
to solve those problems. The plan will also be used to monitor the
revitalization process and to identify actions that are feasible
but which have not yet been carried out.
Challenge and programme
The main challenge is to fight decay in all its forms - physical,
social, and economic - reversing a tendency and promoting actions
that might have some positive ramifications. The actions to be promoted
are related to the fact that the historic area has a large number
of churches and beautiful mansions together with many other remains
of great historic and architectural value. At the same time, the
historic city centre is right next to the port. It will also have
to be taken into account that the old town has imbued into peoples'
habits, as well into commercial activities a special quality that
must not be cancelled out by revitalization. Stop decay. Promote
positive actions. Those are the most feasible objectives.
The programme is then to preserve the old town the way it is: all
it is needed is to reduce physical, social, and economic decay and
at the same time increase social mix together with maximising its
assets.
The programme is of an integrated nature, comprising actions and
projects that at the same time affect physical, social and economic
conditions.
The physical actions are of various types:
- Actions aiming at providing the historic city centre with new
services (green spaces and sport areas, schools, asylums, university
centres together with social services);
- Actions on areas and buildings: in the first place, street
paving and renewal of technological networks; then actions on
public buildings together with the numerous interventions in the
luxury private housing sector;
- The main actions are meant to conclude the waterfront redevelopment
process that should start a new relationship with the old town,
entirely modifying the city and its functional system.
Another series of actions is related to accessibility, the crucial
topic for the revitalization of the historic city centre: the pedestrianization
of many parts of the old town is supported by a system of new parking
areas as well as by good public transport.
The major actions in the social field are the Safety Plan, and the
plans for more residential help and for reception centres.
There is also a programme that supports existing economic activities
and is helping to develop new ones, together with a programme to
rationalize and develop cultural facilities.
Strategy
Every programmed action is feasible. Furthermore, for every programme
action there is a schedule that indicates implementation period
(beginning and end), costs and funding, actors (public or private),
and expected results.
This is the reason why the plan has been drawn up and is continuously
being implemented. For the same reason, continuous monitoring is
also necessary.
The strategy is driven by the interaction between the various parts
of the integrated plan, but above all by the propulsive effect that
every action can have on the whole context. Therefore we are convinced
that this plan stands out because of its pragmatic and innovative
method. Of the many plans experienced so far, the Operating Plan
for Genoa's Historic City Centre represents the most effective one
for safeguarding the area. In such a situation, the main problem
is that it is necessary to act on two fronts. One is that of the
various micro-actions to try, above all, to exploit all the possibilities
of improvement. The other is to develop some major projects that
can breathe new life into the system. Obviously, all the actions
cannot be thought of as public interventions. Rather, the public
actor must develop strategic actions, determining the conditions
to accelerate the process of detailed revitalization that only residents
and private owners can fulfill properly.
The strategic actions - from pedestrianization to implementation
of new parking areas and good public transport, from the major projects
for waterfront redevelopment to the implementation of efficient
services - will therefore be contained in the municipal programmes.
And it will be a task of the city government to set out programmes
capable of boosting the initiatives, through various contributions,
fiscal and procedural conditions etc.
Municipality of Genoa
Links:
Genova 2004
http://www.comune.genova.it/2004/welcome.htm
Environment Protection Office Activities
http://www.comune.genova.it/ambiente/
AMBIENTE/welcome.htm
Cultural Heritage
http://www.centrostoricogenova.com/storia/
The City Council
http://www.comune.genova.it/welcome.htm
.
.
Search for "Genoa":
in Planum
Web Compass data base
in
Planum Journals data base
.
Some Books:
• City Transformed: Urban Architecture at the Beginning of the
21st Century
by Kenneth Powell
Get
more information about this book on amazon.com
• Stadt im Umbau. Städtebau zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts
by Kenneth Powell
Get more information about this book on amazon.de
Submit a
link or a book for this site
|
500 x 332 px, 41 KB
Roofs and towers
of the Old Town
500 x 349 px, 38 KB
A cutting of the "Plans and programs map"
449 x 500 px, 43 KB
New paving for S. Lorenzo Street
500 x 332 px, 41 KB
De Ferrari Square
gets pedestrian
700 x 279 px, 28 KB
From the terrace of the new Sea Museum
384 x 600 px, 54 KB
Parodi Wharf's redevelopment plan
|
)
)
)
)
)
)