Environmental performance of the urban form

The paper deals with the experience of a four-year research at the University of Naples “Federico II” focused on environmental performances of urban space in small towns and villages of Southern Italy. The study proposes a knowledge-oriented methodology aimed at enhancing the value of the urban form in terms of relationships between natural and built environment, empirically demonstrating the existence of a (somehow implicit) ecological design approach of the primary urban patterns that characterizes “urban signatures” in terms of pattern itself, building shape, use of materials, construction technologies. The research wants to point out the value of the original construction process and it aims at highlighting the coherence between city form and the natural environment notably focused on the sustainable use of local resources (vegetation, soil and water) corresponding to ecological cycles and fit on human activities. Ancient towns and villages in Southern Italy are a meaningful example of ecological design in which built technologies were strongly oriented by the site and by the availability of natural resources. They intermediate the relationship between natural and built environment and supply dwelling performances coherently with local context. Harmonization of nature and architecture in many historic towns shows this positive integration and represents an important topic in terms of urban management and urban planning. Ancient villages, especially, present urban patters deeply linked to topography and to the natural environment thus also urban signatures are designed in such a way to give environmental benefits to the whole built-up area in terms of improving microclimate, managing rain fall water and controlling environmental risk. Moreover urban signatures are featured by a common constructive approach aimed at a sustainable use of local resources, as some sort of “instinctive care” to Life Cycle of building materials. This kind of implicit sustainability of urban space is now treated by the impact of modern transformation of historic assets - even by the aim of rehabilitation or maintenance - in which the misunderstanding of primary, sustainable building processes could upset local ecological balance and site identity. The common and acceptable instance of updating services and performances of historic urban space by modern dwelling functions – such as accessibility by car, improving infrastructure and nets, developing commerce, etc. - ought to be compared to the original state of the site and ought be adequate to local, specific carrying capacity. According to these remarks, the purpose of the study is to propose a methodology for “scanning” city space in a way of emphasizing the coherence between the urban pattern, urban signatures and some key constructive elements. Three key assumptions drive the study. First assumption is the ante litteram sustainability of ancient town, tangible evidence of building tradition devised by economic opportunity and by environment understanding, a special condition that drove constructive solutions towards forms and functions adequate to local carrying capacity According to this, the second assumption regards the application of LCA to the urban signatures. The study aims at recognizing the original life cycle design approach aimed at preserving natural resources, reducing transport costs and optimizing the life service of each element. Third and last assumption concerns the qualitative approach to LCA. It is targeted on a sort of eco-balance more than an inventory itself, focusing on pre-industrial constructive process and local design strategy. From this side, attention will be given at some environmental parameters such as the use of natural resources (local and global), the life cycle management (urban and natural), the re-use and re-cycling of materials that could act as constrains in rehabilitation or management projects.