This paper focuses on the urban agglomeration that has gone growing up along the centuries on the western side of Vesuvius, a still active and fearsome volcano, few kilometres southeast from Naples. In view of the dimension of the agglomeration and of the spontaneous and unplanned way it has been growing, the purpose is to investigate on the actual role Vesuvius – as an element of both danger and richness – has gone assuming in the urban self-organization. This paper will analyse the grid configuration of the whole settlement, in order to discuss the way Mount Vesuvius has been interiorized (if it actually has been) in the spatial choices and behaviour of the local communities so as to benefit from its presence and to co-exist with its threat. Three major results are expected from the findings: to examine and verify the actual resilience of the whole agglomeration, so as to evaluate the extent to which the concern and alarm are actually justified; to analyse the configurational state of the system in order to pinpoint possible actions for risk mitigation; more in general, and aside from the case of the Vesuvius area, to evaluate how risk from natural hazard is spontaneously mitigated in self-organized urban spaces; and if self-organized urban structures, when exposed to natural hazards, really work better than we may think or fear.

On the slopes of Vesuvius: configuration as a thread between hazard and opportunity

Valerio Cutini
2015-01-01

Abstract

This paper focuses on the urban agglomeration that has gone growing up along the centuries on the western side of Vesuvius, a still active and fearsome volcano, few kilometres southeast from Naples. In view of the dimension of the agglomeration and of the spontaneous and unplanned way it has been growing, the purpose is to investigate on the actual role Vesuvius – as an element of both danger and richness – has gone assuming in the urban self-organization. This paper will analyse the grid configuration of the whole settlement, in order to discuss the way Mount Vesuvius has been interiorized (if it actually has been) in the spatial choices and behaviour of the local communities so as to benefit from its presence and to co-exist with its threat. Three major results are expected from the findings: to examine and verify the actual resilience of the whole agglomeration, so as to evaluate the extent to which the concern and alarm are actually justified; to analyse the configurational state of the system in order to pinpoint possible actions for risk mitigation; more in general, and aside from the case of the Vesuvius area, to evaluate how risk from natural hazard is spontaneously mitigated in self-organized urban spaces; and if self-organized urban structures, when exposed to natural hazards, really work better than we may think or fear.
2015
978-0-9933429-0-5
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/769585
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