Urban ruins in historical centres. An integrated methodology for sustainable interventions in Cagliari, Sardinia

The present contribute is focused on the role that ruins play in historical centres in terms of meaning, testimony, values and opportunity. Ruined structures in fact, are still more frequently misunderstood places and the debate over how best to preserve them continues among academics the world over, raising questions that merit further investigation. After an historical and contemporary outline of theoretical and practical tendencies to ruins internationally, with an in-depth analysis and comparison of the Anglo-Saxon and Italian approaches and methods, the aim is to delineate a transdisciplinary and integrated methodology that allows the investigation and enhancement of the strategic values of such artefacts and their potential contribution to the sustainable requalification of historic urban cores. This study considers the historic centre of Cagliari, the regional capital of Sardinia characterised by a high presence of medieval ruins, as an opportunity to re-consider these problems on a local scale. In this city, the wrecks left in the aftermath of aerial bombardment by the Allies during the WWII, represent something of a blight on the landscape beyond the mere presence of fallen masonry and overgrown vegetation. They also represent an absence, a series of empty spaces located in nodal points of the historic centre that neither have a current function or any plans for future use. Rovine urbane nei centri storici. Una metodologia integrata per un intervento sostenibile a CagliariIl presente contributo si inserisce nel complesso dibattito internazionale relativo al ruolo che le architetture allo stato di rudere hanno avuto e che continuano ad avere nelle dinamiche di salvaguardia e valorizzazione dei centri urbani in termini di significati, testimonianze, valori ed opportunità. Come si evince dallo stato dell’arte, seppure si tratti di un tema ampliamente investigato, sia sotto il profilo teorico che pratico, esso pone ancora parecchie problematiche anche nel campo del restauro urbano e architettonico. Dopo aver delineato il profilo storico e contemporaneo inerente gli approcci teorici e pratici sulle rovine, mettendo peraltro a confronto il mondo anglosassone e quello italiano, l'obiettivo del presente studio è stato delineare una metodologia olistica e transdisciplinare che consenta di indagare i valori strategici di tali manufatti e il loro potenziale contributo per la riqualificazione sostenibile dei centri storici. Tale protocollo è stato testato sulle rovine del centro storico di Cagliari, ancora fortemente segnato dagli eventi bellici della Seconda guerra mondiale. In tale contesto, i ruderi segnano con una forte accezione negativa il tessuto edilizio creando spazi incompiuti, assenze, punti nevralgici ancor oggi non risolti. Una valutazione comparativa dei quadri culturali e giuridici internazionali è stata la base per identificare possibili strategie e le linee guida per la salvaguardia delle rovine urbane storiche di Cagliari. Parole chiave: Rovine urbane, Transdisciplinarietà, Patrimonio, Riuso, SostenibilitàThe present contribute is focused on the role that ruins play in historical centres in terms of meaning, testimony, values and opportunity. Ruined structures in fact, are still more frequently misunderstood places and the debate over how best to preserve them continues among academics the world over, raising questions that merit further investigation. After an historical and contemporary outline of theoretical and practical tendencies to ruins internationally, with an in-depth analysis and comparison of the Anglo-Saxon and Italian approaches and methods, the aim is to delineate a transdisciplinary and integrated methodology that allows the investigation and enhancement of the strategic values of such artefacts and their potential contribution to the sustainable requalification of historic urban cores. This study considers the historic centre of Cagliari, the regional capital of Sardinia characterised by a high presence of medieval ruins, as an opportunity to re-consider these problems on a local scale. In this city, the wrecks left in the aftermath of aerial bombardment by the Allies during the WWII, represent something of a blight on the landscape beyond the mere presence of fallen masonry and overgrown vegetation. They also represent an absence, a series of empty spaces located in nodal points of the historic centre that neither have a current function or any plans for future use.