The Pedestrianization of the Naples' Seafront: Assemblage Thinking as a Planning Tool

Thinking of the Naples seafront as an urban assemblage has the potential to foster more effective planning. Interpreting the seafront as a spatial and social whole allows planners to overcome the sectorial visions that usually address urban policies and projects proposed for this complex land/sea interface. Over the last years, such initiatives have proved ineffective or counterproductive. This case study focuses on the pedestrianization of part of the seafront that was enacted by the local government in April of 2012. Despite its claim for the right to the city and the environment, this policy caused the rise of unexpected forms of segregation in surrounding areas. The collapse of a nearby building occurred right after the policy was implemented and caused its suspension. That event works as a “fertile” break and acknowledges the vital changing relations between the built and the natural environments as constituent parts of the urban seafront.