Palermo: the City of Opportunities - Industrial Heritage Network Plan by Maurizio Carta - Ποιειν Και Πραττειν

Palermo: the City of Opportunities - Industrial Heritage Network Plan by Maurizio Carta

Cultural Heritage Policy: Principles and guidelines

The contemporaneous debate about the role of planning for a more sustainable urban growth, the local and European political reflections about the spatial development perspective and the framework about a more integrated development – not only ecologically sustainable, but also socially and culturally – it shows us that the reflections about the socio-economic development models must be more based on the cultural identity, formed by the history and the memory of the communities.

We (administrators, politicians and planners) assist at an increasing need of knowledge and participation in cities’ development: people need a sharper knowledge unable to produce and better interpretation and evaluation of spatial, social, economic and cultural perspectives.

This knowledge’s need could find its answer in the cultural heritage, considered as the identity’s source and as a planning tool. Cultural heritage gives to the people the consciousness of their common history and common future, and it perseveration is, therefore, a matter of vital importance.

Heritage conservation must be considered not as a marginal issue, but as a major objective of town and country planning. Local authorities, with whom most of the important planning decisions rest, have a special responsibility for the protection of the cultural heritage and should assist one another by the exchange of ideas and information able to reach a more effective heritage management.

The significance of the cultural heritage and the arguments for conserving must be more clearly recognized. It is accepted that historical continuity must be preserved in its spatial and social environment, if we are to maintain or to create surroundings which enable individuals to find their identity and to feel secure despite abrupt social changes. In modern town planning, an attempt is being made to bring back the human dimension, the enclosed spaces, the interactions of functions and the social and cultural diversity that characterized the urban fabric of old towns. But it is also being realized that the conservation of ancient buildings helps to economise on resources and to combat waste, one of the major preoccupations of present-day society. It has been shown that historical buildings can be given new functions related to the needs of contemporary life. The rehabilitator of existing buildings (residential, cultural or productive one) helps also to reduce the conflicts between conservation and innovation, between basic needs and cultural needs.

An integrated policy of a cultural heritage-based development must follow some principles, shared among administrators, planners and users:

The political sustainability: the conservation of the architectural heritage must be one of the major objectives of urban planning.

The conservation of the architectural heritage would become an integral part of urban planning, instead of being treated as a secondary consideration or one requiring only incidental action. A permanent dialogue between conservationists and those responsible for planning is thus indispensable.

Planners should recognize that not all historical areas are the same and that they should therefore be dealt with according to their individual characteristics. The recognition of the claims of the historical, aesthetic and cultural values of the architectural heritage should lead to the adoption of specific aims and planning rules for old architectural complexes.

Local planning policy must take into account the rehabilitation of the urban architectural heritage and contribute to its “innovation with conservation.” In particular, it can induce new activities to establish themselves in economically declining parts of cities, in order to check depopulation and thereby prevent the deterioration of old buildings. In addition, decisions on the development of peripheral urban areas can be orientated in such a way as to reduce pressure on the older neighborhoods.

The full development of a permanent policy of conservation and rehabilitation requires a large measure of decentralization. This means that there must be people responsible for conservation at all levels (central, regional, local and sub-local) at which planning decisions or administrative decisions or financial decisions are taken. The conservation of the architectural heritage, however, should not merely be a matter of experts, but equally the support of public opinion is essential. The population, on the basis of full, objective and participatory knowledge, should take part in every step of the planning process.

The conservation of the architectural heritage (monumental or industrial) should become a feature of a new long-term approach which pays due attention to criteria of quality and just proportions and which should make it possible henceforth to reject options and aims which are too often governed by short-term considerations.

2. The administrative sustainability: integrated conservation must involve the responsibility of local authorities and call for citizens’ participation

Local authorities must acquire specific and extensive responsibilities in the protection of the urban architectural heritage in co-operation with the institutional authority for conservation. In applying the principles of integrated conservation, they should take account of the continuity of existing social and physical realities in urban communities. The future cannot and should not be built at the expense of the past, but the past should not be conserved at the expense of the future.

To implement such a policy, which respects the man-made environment intelligently, sensitively and with economy, local authorities would:

use the existing studies, or promote new ones, about the texture of urban areas, notably their structures, their complex functions, and the architectural and spatial characteristics of their built-up and open spaces;
afford functions to buildings which, whilst respecting their character, correspond to the needs of contemporary life and thus ensure their survival;
be aware that long-term studies on the development of public services (cultural, educational, administrative, medical) indicate that excessive size impairs their quality and effectiveness;
devote an appropriate part of their budget to such a policy, because local authority grants and loans made to private individuals and various associations should be aimed at stimulating their involvement and financial commitment;
promote special non-profit agencies to provide direct links between potential users of buildings and their owners;
facilitate the formation and efficient functioning of voluntary associations for restoration, rehabilitation and innovation of uses.

Local authorities should improve their techniques of consultation for ascertaining the opinions of interested parties on conservation plans and should take these opinions into account from the earliest stages of planning. The same architectural heritage could give some meeting places in order to enable members of the public to consult each other.

As part of this policy, methods such as public meetings, exhibitions, opinion polls, the use of the mass media and all other appropriate methods should become common practice.

The education of young people in environmental issues and their involvement with conservation tasks is one of the most important requirements. Complementary proposals or alternatives put forward by groups or individuals should be considered as an important contribution to planning. Local authorities should, therefore, establish a continuing exchange of information and ideas through all available channels.

3. The Social sustainability: the success of any policy of integrated conservation depends on taking social actors into consideration

A policy of conservation also means the integration of the cultural heritage into social life. The conservation effort to be made must be measured not only against the cultural value of the buildings but also against their use value. The social problems of integrated conservation can be resolved only by simultaneous reference to both these scales of values.

The rehabilitation of a complex forming part of the architectural heritage (like the disused industrial areas) is not necessarily more costly than new buildings for containing some urban services. When therefore comparing the cost of the solutions, whose social consequences are quite different, it is important not to overlook the social costs. These concern not only owners and tenants but also the craftsmen, trades people and contractors on the spot who keep the district alive and maintain it.

Financial interventions should aim to strike a balance between restoration grants to owners, combined with the fixing of maximum rents, and housing allowances to tenants to cover, in part or in whole, the difference between the old and new rents.

In order to enable the population to participate in the drawing up of programmes, they must be given the facts necessary to understand the situation, on the one hand through explaining the historic and architectural value of the buildings to be conserved, and on the other hand by being given full details about permanent and temporary re-housing. This participation is all the more important because it is no longer simply a matter of restoring a few privileged buildings but of rehabilitating whole areas, by a balance between conservation and innovation.

4. The institutional sustainability: integrated conservation necessitates the adaptation of legislative and administrative measures

Because the concept of the architectural heritage has been gradually extended from the individual historic building to urban architectural complexes, and to more recent architecture, far-reaching legislative reform, in conjunction with an increase in administrative resources, is a prerequisite to effective action.

In Italy, this reform is guided by the need to co-ordinate regional and local planning legislation with national legislation on the protection of architectural heritage.

In order to increase the operational capacity of the authorities, it is necessary to review the structure of the administration to ensure that Superintendence responsible for the cultural heritage are organized at the appropriate levels and that sufficient qualified personnel and essential scientific, technical and financial resources are put at their disposal.

The Superintendence would assist local authorities, co-operate with regional planning offices and keep in constant touch with public and private bodies.

5. The economic sustainability: integrated conservation necessitates appropriate financial means

In order to solve the economic problems of a conservation balanced between rehabilitation and renewal, it is important to draw up legislation subjecting new buildings to certain restrictions with regard to their volume and dimensions (height, coefficient of land use) that will make for harmony with the surroundings.

The conservation policy would tend to restore the social balance and the financial and fiscal advantages available for new buildings should be according in the same proportion for the upkeep and conservation of old buildings, less, of course, any compensation for extra costs that may have to be paid.

Local authorities should set up or encourage the establishment of revolving funds, by providing local authorities or non-profit associations with the necessary capital. This is particularly applicable to areas where such programmes can become self-financing in the short or the long term because of the rise in value accruing from the high demand for such attractive property. It is vital, however, to encourage all private sources of finance, particularly coming from industry, insurances and banks. Numerous private initiatives have shown the viable part that they can play in association with the authorities at either national or local level.

6. The Technical sustainability: integrated conservation requires promotion of methods, techniques and skills for restoration and rehabilitati

Methods and techniques of restoration and rehabilitation of historic complexes should be better exploited and their range developed. Specialised techniques which have been developed for the restoration of important historic complexes should be henceforth applied to the wide range of buildings and complexes of less outstanding artistic merit.

Steps should be taken to ensure that traditional building materials remain available and that traditional crafts and techniques continue to be used.

Permanent maintenance of the architectural heritage, will, in the long run obviate costly rehabilitation operations.

There is a fundamental need for better training programmes to produce qualified personnel. These programmes should be flexible, multidisciplinary and should include courses where on-site practical experience can be gained.

This should help to create the required pool of planners, architects, technicians and craftsmen to prepare conservation programmes and help to ensure that particular crafts for restoration work, that are in danger of dying out, will be fostered.

The opportunity for qualifications, conditions of work, salary, employment security and social status should be sufficiently attractive to induce young people to take up and stay in disciplines connected with restoration and rehabilitation work. Furthermore, the authorities responsible for educational programmes at all levels should endeavour to promote the the interest of young people in conservation disciplines.

The Importance of the Knowledge’s Opportunity

The movements of people, goods and information across the continent of Europe are marked by a tendency towards concentration and polarization. Liberalisation of the markets for transport and telecommunications and growing competition accentuate this process. Unless corrective measures are taken, owners of infrastructure and operators of information networks will be tempted to concentrate on the most profitable parts, thereby increasing the marginalization of regions with smaller requirements for mobility and communications. Such a development would undermine economic and social cohesion. But the problem cannot be solved exclusively by providing more infrastructural facilities.

Investing in cultural heritage, in cultural innovation and in intelligence is of the utmost importance: without it, even the best infrastructure will do more harm than good to disadvantaged regions. If is an essential condition for genuine competitiveness throughout Europe and can be achieved only by facing up to important challenges: the trend towards a more intangible economy as a consequence of the Knowledge Society, the capacity for rehabilitation of memory and for innovation as a critical factor for development, and the need for a substantial increase in the general level of education and skills of the working population.

What is required is a combination of better access to areas and a more efficient and sustainable use of infrastructure and info-structure linked with the broadest possible diffusion of knowledge and innovative capacities.

By a broader diffusion of knowledge and culture – writes the European Spatial Development Perspective Document – the disadvantaged regions (and Sicily is indubitable one) must be able to meet the challenge of the Information Society by increasing the capacity to innovate and to participate in new economic opportunities. People must increase their awareness of the opportunities presented, governments must seek to incorporate education, research and culture into the economic processes and to raise the general level of education and skills.

A more transactive, shared and intangible economy seems to be emerging in the economies of the most prosperous regions: a new international division of labor is emerging with a core labor-market of concentrated knowledge and skills. This market segment is relatively closed, not enabling lower skills to participate. The secondary market segment will be highly dependent on the performance of the high-skill international segment, and since it is characterized by lower added value goods and services, wages will be low. Such a division of labor would be a challenge to economic and social cohesion and makes imperative the need, especially for the peripheral regions, to invest in the culture economy, formed by information, education, technologies and loisir.

Where an insufficient contribution of institutional education system is being made to development of a region’s capacity to innovate, particular attention should be paid to strengthening their links with business and industry. Applied R&D and the development of knowledge and culture centers, technology centers, business incubators and other centers of innovation are examples of ways this could be done.

The dissemination of knowledge should not be restricted to a few favored centers. The economic attractiveness of regions depends on the quality of the whole work force. Lifelong learning and improved vocational qualifications have caught up considerably in this regard, particularly in combating illiteracy, but efforts to raise the general level of education of the labor force have to be continued and be unrelenting.

In order to achieve the objectives referred to above, we can utilize the policy options given by the ESDP:

Increasing access to knowledge technologies and raising awareness of the challenges and potential benefits of the Information Society in regions where it has still not been established.
Support the establishment of “knowledge poles” and techno poles and improvement of links between higher education, applied R & D, innovation centers, cultural centers, industry and business in regions whose development is lagging behind.
Achievement of a minimum level of access to higher education, research and innovation centers.
Improvement of the level of general education and vocational skills as a part of integrated development strategies in regions where this level is low.

Integrated Management and Development of the Cultural Heritage and of the Cultural Innovation

The ESDP writes that Europe’s cultural heritage is an expression of its identity, a world asset characterized by great richness and diversity. Rigorous protective measures, including schemes for designating sites and monuments, can cover only a small part of this heritage. For the remainder, the ideal of sustainable developments calls for a more creative approach capable of passing on to future generations a cultural heritage to which the achievements of the present age will be added. The need is for the “creative management” of urban landscapes, promoting their overall coherence and reversing the trend towards the dereliction, damage and destruction prevalent in many areas.

The cultural heritage is also an economic asset of growing importance, reinforcing the need for protection, careful management, development and innovation of use. In particular, it is recognized that the environmental quality of cities is increasingly a location factor in mobile investment. Decisions on the location of new economic activities (especially those employing highly skilled labor) are taking into account, with greater frequency, the quality of life and environment.

Moreover, attractions of cultural value have over the last decades become an important factor in the dynamic development of the heritage-tourism industry. There is now a shift towards more active ways of spending the holiday and leisure time.

Conservation and creative management of the urban cultural heritage

The urban heritage is a valuable asset in projecting European culture across the world, a symbolic value that represents a strategic tool for a global competition. Considerable investment needs to be made in safeguarding outstanding historical ensembles, while urban landscapes ought to be remodeled on the basis of a coherent strategy which is not dominated solely by the past, or by the future once a time.

Many of Europe’s cities possess extensive sites of historical heritage (monumental or industrial) of great value that are subject to a slow process of degradation. Despite substantial funds spent on maintenance and restoration, the trend has not been halted. To prevent irreparable losses, where this is still possible, proactive conservation programmes need to be started.

But Europe’s urban heritage does not only consist of outstanding ensembles: its cities represent places of intense social life and cultural events. The lifestyles of European cities must be considered in their entirety as a part of cultural heritage, and their identity and integrity needs to be preserved and used. Many cities in Europe are exposed to severe pressures of commercialization and cultural uniformity that remove individuality and identity, that erode memory and space. These include real estate speculation, the construction of over-large infrastructural projects, and adaptations to mass tourism. Often they have the effect of seriously disrupting the structure and social life of cities. An adequate response to these pressures needs to be found through development strategies that include, in particular, physical planning and land-use policy more careful to the interpretation of values.

For a more cultural-based urban planning, the policy options could be:

Proactive strategies for integrated conservation in areas where the urban cultural heritage is at risk of becoming degraded, in particular in those areas which have disused their orginal functions
Development of strategies to control the pressures on the urban cultural heritage generated by tourism, real-estate speculation and infrastructural provision
Remodeling, in a creative way, coherent groups of buildings and factories situated in cities undergoing degradation of their urban landscape.
The possibilities afforded by new technologies for identifying and recording the architectural heritage and combating the deterioration of materials as well as in the fields of scientific research, restoration work and methods of managing and promoting the heritage.
Ways of promoting architectural creation as our age’s contribution to the European heritage.

Places, Actors and Actions

The Industrial Heritage Network is formed by a great number of disused areas (not only productive ones, but even those that contain public activities). We can synthesize the areas in 5 categories:

a) coastal areas linked with sea activities

b) inner areas linked with administrative activities

c) railway areas that represent some mobility system

d) large industrial areas unable to contain local and upper-local activities mixed

e) unable to contain local administrative activities and socio-cultural activities small industrial areas.

coastal areas linked with sea activities	inner areas linked with administrative activities	railway areas that represent some mobility system	large industrial areas unable to contain local and upper-local activities mixed	unable to contain local administrative activities and socio-cultural activities small industrial areas.
Stazione di S. Erasmo	Industria Coalma	Stazione lolli	italtel	Cantiera guadagna
Manifattura Tabacchi	Industria Mag-Helg-Arpa	Stazione Sampolo	Mulino Virga	Conceria Guadagna
Ospizo Marino	Mobili Ducrot	Caserma de Maria	Mattatoio	Mattoni Guadagna
Chimica Arenella	Mercato Ortofrutticolo	Stazione Notarbartolo	Gasometro	Alimenti per Strutt. Sanit
Ceramiche Puleo	Fiera del Mediterraneo	Stazione di S. Erasmo	Ospedale Pschiatrico	Arredi P. Sorima
Istituto Nautico	Gasometro		Mobili Ducrot	Fabbrica di Sego
Fondera Cala	Mattatoio		Carcere ucciardone	Saponificio A. La Gumina
Vetreria Caruso			Mercato Ortofrutticolo	Opificio
Gasometro			Fiera del Mediterraneo	Opifici Piazza Scaffa
Societa Anonima Agrumi			Stazione Lolli	Lavatoio
Quinta Casa Della Compagnia di Gesu			Caserma Cascino	Molitura Frumento (Consorzio)
Bottifico				Fabbrica Conserviera Contorno
Arsenale				Conceria Manno
Bagni Termali Pandolfo				Fonderia Randazzo
Soc. Anonima Tele Olone				Pastifici Riuniti
				Catrame Politi
				Fonderia Gallo
				Falegnameria
				Opificio
				Alluminio Balsamo (M.O.A.)
				Mobilificio
				Molitura Solmacco
				Fonderia Papireto
				Conceria Papireto
				Edicola Dell’ Averinga
				Industria Chimica Solvay
				Fonderia F.lli Durante
				Mulino Giglio
				Instituto dei Ciechi

The actors unable to participate in the planning process and in the financial process are:

a) State or Region (owners of the areas or responsible for the functions)

b) Municipality of Palermo (owner of the areas)

c) Private (owners of the areas or sponsor)

d) Public institutions (interested in the new functions)

All the actors share some relations, characterised by various trends:

Actors	Culture-oriented	Economic-oriented	Consensus oriented
State or region	Cultural Services Ministry of Cultural Heritage	Ministry of Treasure Owners of the areas	National Politicians
Municipality of Palermo	Assessorship for the Culture	Owner of the areas Assessorship of the Labour, Tourism	Local Politicians
Private	Cutural Associations, Foundations, Non profit organizations	Cultural firms, Sponsor	Maecenas. Sponsors
Public Institutions	Universities Research Centres

For promoting an effective heritage policy, the actions that the Municipality of Palermo undertakes to foster can be divided into five categories:

Institutional actions, based on:

protect local cultural heritage as an institutional must
link the institutional interests with the social needs
draw the cultural heritage plans and individualise the cultural categories and not only the cultural catalogues
fiscal facilities for private and and begin with public actions to improve the private ones
create an authority for cultural heritage and innovation, and create cultural department

Social actions, based on:

remove the causes of lack of social identity
create “cultural interests communities”
improve the educational role of cultural actions
create and improve of non profit associations, and improve the cultural firms and involve the banking system
create and improve cultural partnership and improve public-private agreement

Cultural actions, based on:

specify responsibilities in cultural actions
build an urban socio-cultural network and create a network of “proximity places” where various social classes can relate
create the cultural network and interpret and explain the cultural values of the city
use specific funds for cultural actions and use international funds
individualise some priorities and draw the action plan

Economic actions, based on:

simplification of administrative process
improve the “third” sector of economy and improve the non profit associations
rehabilitation of cultural heritage
create some poles of economy of culture
improve the project financing

Administrative actions, based on:

individualise responsibilities and time-schedule for project implementation
improve the cultural associations
value the compatibility of rehabilitation
improve the partnership of private sector in projects’ implementation
improve the public-private agreement

All these actions are unable to guarantee the previously defined system of sustainability:

Actions Sustainability	Institutional	Social	Cultural	Economic	Administrative
Institutional	Protect Local Cultural Heritage as an Institutional Must	Remove the causes of lack of social identity	Specify responsibilities in cultural actions	Simplification of administrative process	Individualise responsibilities and time schedule for project implementation
Social	Link the institutional interests with social needs	Create cultural interest communities	Build an urban socio-cultural network Create a network of proximity places where various social classes can relate	Improve the third sector of economy Improve the non profit associations	Improve the cultural associations
Cultural	Draw the cultural heritage plans Individualise the cultural categories and not only the cultural catalogues	Improve the educational role of cultural actions	Create the cultural network Interpret and explain the cultural values of the city	Rehabilitation of cultural heritage	Value the compatibility of rehabilitation
Economic	Fiscal facilities for private Begin with public actions to improve the private ones	Create and improve of non profit associations Improve the cultural firms Involve the bank system	Use specific funds for cultural actions Use international funds (EU, UNESCO etc.)	Create some poles of Economy of Culture	Improve the partnership of private sector in projects implementation
Administrative	Create an authority for cultural heritage and innovation Create cultural department	Create and improve cultural partnership Improve private-public agreement	Individualise some priorities Draw the action plan	Improve the project financing	Improve the public-private agreement

In summary, we could affirm that the organisation of a Industrial Heritage Network in Palermo is unable to give some sustainable dimensions to the development:

The spatial dimension, that lives linking global and local actions and explain its actions in guaranteeing the auto-sustainability of the development. It offers the opportunity of actuating some “lillipu” strategies unable to link the various subjects that live, act and modify the space. Its function allow to identify the spatial value of the areas.
The cultural dimension, that lives sharing conservation and innovation and explain its action in producing an useful knowledge, unable to drive more efficiently the decision. It offers the opportunity of an integrated development of all the elements. Its function is above all the knowledge of the identity.
The administrative dimension, that lives between the rules and the scenarios and explain its action guaranteeing the effectiveness of the previsions. It offers the opportunity of producing some correct provisions, because they are formed by a correction information about the actors, the budget, the partners. Its function is above all the interpretation of the necessary steps.
The social dimension, that lives linking participation and order and explain its action improving the participation to the choices of citizens, users, administrators and experts. It offers the opportunity of sharing the value of the industrial heritage rehabilitation. Its function is above all the communication of the planning process and of the planning decision.

Dimensions	Conflicts resolved	Actions	Opportunities	Functions
Spatial	Global vs local	Auto-sustainability	“lilliput” strategies	Identification
Cultural	Conservation vs innovation	Useful knowledge	Integrated development	Knowledge
Administrative	Rule vs scenario	Effectiveness of the indicators	Effectiveness of the provisions	Interpretation
Social	Participation vs order	Citizens’ participation	Sharing of values	Communication

Concluding, we can use the Shakespeare words: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”, but perhaps we could say that many of these could be planned by a Cultural Network.

Maurizio Carta

Dept. of Town and Country Planning, University of Palermo

Piazza Bologni, 13

90138 Palermo, Italy

Tel. +39 091 6079210

Email: mcarta@unipa.it

Website: www.unipa.it/-mcarta

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Palermo: the City of Opportunities - Industrial Heritage Network Plan by Maurizio Carta