The Challenges of Urban Regeneration Between Conservation and Transformation in Coastal Areas. The Case Study of La Caletta, Sardinia, Italy

Balancing the conservation of modern architecture’s legacy with the de-mands of contemporary urban transformation represents a key challenge for urban regeneration, particularly in coastal areas affected by tourism devel-opment pressure. The coastal settlement of La Caletta, in the municipality of Siniscola, on the central‑eastern coast of Sardinia (Italy), represents one of the most interesting contexts for observing, on a local scale, the interplay be-tween the major ongoing transitions and the specificities of Sardinian coastal landscapes. In this context, the history of tourism development, the expan-sive urban growth and the consequent transformation, as well as demograph-ic changes have shaped a complex geography, in which the relationship be-tween the main urban center (Siniscola) and the coastal settlement (La Calet-ta) has progressively been redefined. This paper investigates the opportuni-ties offered by sustainable urban regeneration, understood as a systematic set of actions aimed at qualitative renewal and strengthening of both material and immaterial infrastructures (physical space and digital environment) in order to improve the quality of life of residents and city users. The study takes as its starting point the experience of the Villaggio Milano, designed by Carlo De Carli in the late 1940s, that can be considered a significant combi-nation between residential and tourist demand, modern architecture, charac-teristics of the coastal landscape, and connections with the broader geo-graphical context.