Assessing Flexible Places for Adaptive Urban Design: A New Method and the Case of Cittaducale

Abstract

: Each place has its own peculiarities, determining that the resilience and adaptation to diverse types of risks will be different, requiring different time and methods for mitigation as well. The coexistence of several risks determines further resolution difficulties as commonly, since risks are sudden and unforeseen, there is a tendency to treat the last risk more carefully, neglecting the previous one even if it is just as important. Most of the methodologies used to analyse areas affected by different risks are aimed at focusing in particular on seismic risks without considering those relating to intangible aspects linked to the identity of the places or aspects related to urban health and liveability. And, more in general, in relation to design aspects, urban methodologies do not consider all the results of the analyses, maybe for the difficulty deriving from translating the complexity of collected data in project interventions. Starting from these premises, the objective of the article, elaborated within the SISMI and PRIN 2020 research projects is to propose an original methodology capable of analysing the places affected by multiple risks and planning its resilience attentive to its cultural resources and to its liveability. To this end, the proposed method will be aimed at creating flexible and adaptive places and the case-study of Cittaducale will be illustrated. Criticalities and qualities of this place affected by an earthquake in 2016 will be reported and project interventions to transform its risks into opportunities will be shown.