Environmental sustainability of urban design in the historical city. ‘Quartiere Avvocata’ in Naples

The fundamental aim of the studies concerning the Survey and the Representation of the Architecture and the Environment is to build an excellent quality in the training of the experts on the scientific fields of the architectural survey and representation, through a careful process of basic and interdisciplinary study and a careful process of promotion of the innovative research activities, in order to offer a highly qualified contribution to the Institutional Authorities which have the task of arranging and planning the protection of the cultural and environmental assets, and the requalification and regeneration of the cities. What is the relation between this and the environmental sustainability in the urban project? Or of sustainable urbanism? But while it’s now clear what the “sustainable construction” is, it isn’t as much clear the concept of “sustainable urbanism”. A construction which wants to guarantee a virtuous relation with the environment can count upon several methodologies to test its sustainability: the EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme) certifications, the energy classes of the KlimaHaus system, the rating of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), etc.. But a group of highly sustainable buildings doesn’t necessarily constitute a sustainable urban settlement. The sustainability theme has specific implications on the urban settlement scale. Today, the contemporary (post-modern) city requires a particular attention. Can we today, in a position of taking on new principles for the setting in motion of actions addressed to the regeneration of historic structure, strongly stratified and, subsequently, crowded of functions, of inhabitants and other activities, imagine that the city expels from its body with obvious violence a part which could to be reconsidered in a strategic propensity of renovation and re-appropriation? The experience I would like to propose as a good practice is that concerning the study of ‘Quartier Avvocata’ in the city of Naples. This area was uninhabited until the early seventeenth century. It was situated outside city walls in front of what was once called Largo Mercatello. Today the area has been totally absorbed by the tumultuous plot of contemporary urbanization. It is a difficult area, as far as its morphological origin, its urban character, its social and living conditions. This area is pervaded by an atavic imprimatur of degradation and marginality (less) which is imposing at this time the promotion of a total regenerative action (more) in order to bring back town’s role of strategic relevance as a whole.