Strenght and Weaknesses of Public Housing Policy in Italy

This contribution provides a review of public housing laws and policies in Italy, starting from the early nineties, with a specific focus the city of Naples. Then, there is an in-depth analysis of three large public housing neighbourhoods located in as many Neapolitan districts–Traiano, Scampia and Ponticelli. All these neighbourhoods, built up before the sustainability paradigm became a guiding principle of planning practices, show standards of urban quality and quality of life very far from those commonly required nowadays. Thus, with reference to the key principles for sustainable regeneration of urban neighbourhoods, capable of integrating physical, social, economic, environmental and cultural issues, the analysis of the selected Neapolitan areas highlights both their criticalities and the main steps forward that have been made and those still to be made towards their sustainable regeneration