In September 2014, the city of Ragusa will host a 12 days International Workshop on Urban and Architectural Design, addressed to students and postgraduates from Italian and foreign Schools of Architecture and Engineering.
This is the first initiative of Re-use Ragusa, an extensive program of study and design experience on the city and its environment that the Municipality of Ragusa is developing together with the Polytechnic of Milan, in view of its general urban plan revision.
Ragusa, the capital of Sicilian Baroque, is a perfect location to host a “laboratory of ideas” focused on architectural, urban and environmental issues, for the consistency of its architectural and monumental heritage, but also for the complexity of its urban structure which requires nowadays an extensive regeneration process.
The selected theme for this first edition concerns the regeneration of the historic center of Ragusa Superiore, the "new town" built on a higher plateau after the earthquake which destroyed the old city in 1693. The historic center, shaped with a compact gridiron plan, embeds several late-baroque palaces for which was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
The denser part of this fabric, made of an extensive grid of small blocks, each composed by tiny lots, has gradually proved inadequate to accommodate the new housing needs, forcing residents to look elsewhere for more suitable conditions. The strict regulation imposed on the whole historic center has strongly contributed to freeze this condition, by preventing the necessary renewal process. The consequence has been a gradual depopulation of the old town that led to a large urban and social decay.
Using a multidisciplinary approach, the Workshop aims to test “on-site” strategies for urban renewal that could suggest integrated solutions, to these several issues: preservation of architectural and urban character of the site, building and public space renovation, upgrading to current housing and circulation needs, creation of safety areas for both seismic and hydrogeological risks.
After a preliminary guided analysis of the urban context the participants will carry out design experiments at different scales on sample areas inside the urban frame or along its borders built along the edges of the plateau. The specific methods of intervention will be discussed within the working groups, each followed by a tutor, and will be increased within scheduled seminars, conferences and panel discussions.
Download Brochure RE-USE Ragusa