Describing and prescribing. Transitional Morphologies in Rimini, Italy

Abstract

The mutation of urban structures is inevitable as it reflects the regenerative processes of the city influenced by political, social and economic factors. This transformation must not be stemmed but guided. In the Italian historical centres, the approach aims not to preserve the ancient forms through restoration but to select and choose those that can remain active in a new context due to their intrinsic strength. To avoid indiscriminately planning a conservation programme, one of the possible solutions for regenerating historical structures is to provide an active role of each morphological category. The study presented here aims to formulate directive and implementation guidelines in the form of regulations for the historical centre of Rimini, Italy. The research question asks about the relationship between description and prescription. In this case, the descriptive part is based on the urban reading through a morpho-typological investigation with a diachronic and transitional approach. This method allows an understanding of the connection between the network of settlements and the territory and how the original arrangement has been transformed through innovations guided by new factors and settlement models. The analysis was carried out on five morpho-typologically clusters to demonstrate if it is possible to set up an operative matrix to define the knowledge base to reformulate and overcome the existing rules and codes.