Ravenna, the harbour and the city

Abstract

This essay analyses some aspects of town planning evolution in Emilia-Romagna, referring to the plans and the events that affected Ravenna and its harbour (the so-called “Darsena di Città”), from the end of the 60s to nowadays. In this period town planning evolved towards the gradual redefinition of the perspectives of growth and the increasing attention to existing city, historical values and landscape. Since 1995, when a Urban Development Plan concerning the “Darsena di Città” was approved, many design experimentation were led, reflecting manners and themes of the national debate. The more recent experiences reflect at the local level the need of a transition – both cultural and technical – from a traditional urban design perspective towards a complex set of policies and actions that we include in the term ‘urban regeneration’.