IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section A

Abstract

Current and different studies have highlighted two main phenomena of large-scale settlement imbalance, opposite to each other. On the one hand, conditions of overcrowding and over-tourism in many large urban centres or cities of art; on the other, in internal areas, cases of depopulation of small urban centres and abandonment of widespread cultural heritage. Both problems involve, in different ways, the relationship between the spatial and temporal dimensions, economic-environmental resources, quality of life and social well-being. If large metropolitan areas constitute places of more attractiveness and opportunity, they suffer from the effects of overcrowding, with a reduction in socio-environmental quality; the small-sized settlements in internal areas, characterized by better socio-environmental quality, are abandoned due to fewer economic opportunities and greater isolation. From the point of view of historical heritage, if the cities of art and/or metropolitan cities present architecture that is now iconic in terms of quality and notoriety, in the internal territory there remain cultural heritages that testify to the settlement dynamics over time and the relationships between architecture, landscape and historical roads. The contribution intends to illustrate some experiences conducted in Sicily, on national strategies to combat depopulation, in a small, historically stratified mountain centre, Troina (Enna), as an application case, through educational and research works aimed at analyzing the relationship between element natural environment and settlement system, verification of ecosystem services, recognition of materials and construction systems of building units. These analyses, together with the actions and measures undertaken by the local administration, can constitute useful tools for recovering the historical meanings of the territory and combating abandonment.