Planning future - 1
Editorial by Giovanni De Marchi

With this initiative the Emilia-Romagna Region intends to open a "window" to share, discuss and evaluate the efficacy of the most significant regional actions affecting territorial planning, urban requalification, housing and mobility policies i.e., the central themes of present-day debate, of general interest to civil society.
This issue, in particular, is devoted to the law provisions passed by the regional government of Emilia-Romagna in the course of the 2000-2005 term.
With this new legislative system, the Region wants to further the enhancement of urban quality through the renewal of abandoned areas; it is the choice of a Region that does not consume the territory but rather focuses on existing cities and the zones built up over the last few decades.
It amounts to an all-out reorganisation of the legislation, based on three strategic goals: sustainable planning, the consensus of the stakeholders concerned, solidarity-oriented projects. We must ensure environmental sustainability to fulfil the need for protection against environmental, geological and hydraulic hazards; cultural assets must also be protected: though they have not undergone destructive processes as extensive and dramatic as in other territories, they still require a strong commitment on our part for their preservation, maintenance and protection against further damage.
Solidarity is a new theme in which city planning can play a key role. In this connection the Emilia-Romagna Region has always been a driving force. This aspect is no longer regarded as crucial nowadays, and it should be stressed and brought into focus again in order to ensure those levels of social cohesion which must be an unwavering objective of regional policy.