HISTORICAL SMALL SMART CITY: the recovery of small historical centers between “modulation of the protection” and new technologies

The transformations of the post-industrial settlement models and the globalized living culture have often inserted the historic centers (small and not) in contradictory dynamics, in which they are affected by different phenomena (from the abandonment to the replacement of the inhabitants). In some cases, in fact, we can observe the inclusion of new social classes, sometimes composed of immigrants, while in others there are phenomena of gentrification or reuse (partial or total) only for touristic-commercial goals. Debate about recovery and valorisation of the historical centers, especially the small ones which, at least in Italy, represent an important reality, can be very topical at a time when, perhaps for the first time, some models of settlement and development, mainly aiming at the expansion of urban areas, are questioned. The historical centers are extremely delicate territories, with a clear urban identity and a high historical and testimonial value, referable both to the urban texture and to the elements of architectural heritage of considerable value, than to its inhabitants and to its social tissue. In fact, they can be a key resource for a virtuous and sustainable project of transformation of the entire territorial structure: the coming back to living the historical centers, especially smaller ones, could constitute one of the most effective tools for the rebalancing of the territory and for reducing the unsustainable land consumption. The possibilities and perspectives aimed to increase the “attractiveness” of small historical centers are based on a “healthy combination” of planning intervention criteria – starting from the “modulation of protection” –, restoration of buildings and use of new technologies, both at “urban” level (according to the “Historical Small Smart City” logic) and at building level (energy efficiency, domotics, etc.). But also, and above all, on the understand the vision of theirs residents and users. In the context of the planning of the urban recovery, the “modulation of protection” is based on a scrupulous historical-critical interpretation of the historical center that aims at preventing its “freezing”. It consists of a series of rules of “appropriate behavior” aimed to “calibrate” the protection of the historical buildings in relation to their level of historicity and the degree of type-morphological transformations previously suffered. The new digital communication technologies, the possibility to move data and information instead of people, the use of renewable and clean energy sources represent an opportunity to give new life to small historical centers. In fact, if on one side it is important to safeguard the heritage of collective and individual memories formed by the small historical centers, on the other it is possible to rethink them on “smart” way, identifying possibilities for sustainable revitalization and regeneration. For this purpose there is the need to define a “protocol” of intervention, compatible with the specific characteristics of the small historical centers and on which shared policies for “smart” recovery can be based. Without stopping the history!