Challenges and Opportunities for the Historic Urban Landscape Planning. The Sardinia Region Case Study

The 2011 UNESCO Recommendation defines the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) as a stratification of historical, cultural and natural values, which broadens the notion of “historic centre” to include the social, environmental and economic components of the urban and geographical context. Italian urban planning has so far adopted a conservative and binding approach to the protection and valorisation of historic settlements. Regulatory planning tools have often failed to combine the protection of physical heritage with the general improvement of urban quality and socio-economic conditions. The limitations of traditional planning can be identified in the difficulty to interpret the urban complexity and in the lack of projects and actions monitoring. The paper investigates the critical issues arising from the application of the traditional planning models for the historic centre, focusing on the case study of the Sardinia Region. The objective of the study is to identify some fields of innovation in the use of planning tools, that take into consideration the characteristics of local contexts and the needs of communities, as recommended by UNESCO. New technologies can contribute to a regularly updated knowledge framework and to the involvement of private actors in regeneration projects. The study shows that the continuous evolution of socio-economic conditions in cities requires open and flexible decision-making based on the principles of sustainability, social inclusion and innovation. The conclusions highlight the need for a review of approaches and tools to give more dynamism and effectiveness to the planning process, including the integration of innovative methods and technologies.