Urban Regeneration by Law. Towards the Definition of an Uncertain Term

On September 30, 2013, the Giunta Regionale Toscana has approved a bill that is presumably destined to substitute the current regional law on the Governo del Territorio (L.R. 01/2005). The new law is going to prevent the new soil occupation for housing, thus radically and definitely closing the long lasting historic phase of the urban growth planning, hegemonic for over 80 years. The renovation and reuse of interstitial areas and the urban regeneration are therefore going to become the only possible intervention for supplying the housing needs of cities and local communities. The proposal has excited a strong debate among opposite sides of politicians, administrations, economic operators, professional and town planners; the law and the debate it is exciting) is likely to strongly influence both the legislation of other Italian regions and, at a national scale, the bills on territorial and environmental issues to be discussed by the Italian Parliament commissions. The transition of urban regeneration from the project sphere, often limited within local and punctiform operations, towards a process-oriented and diffused approach involves the urgent needs to pinpoint new shared tools, suitable for managing and controlling complex and codified procedures, multiplicity of involved subjects and the transparent participation of local communities. The definition of such tool as planning support is certainly essential for the political intentions and law regulations to concretely determine new operational method. The purpose of this paper is to briefly sketch the state of the art of the present methods and procedures at urban and territorial scale as well as to outline new approaches and developments so as to meet the new normative needs concerning the regeneration.