Carla Chiarantoni

The period of the great housing reconstruction conducted with the two Ina-Casa plans undoubtedly constitutes a piece of the Italian history of the ‘900. Neighborhoods and residential areas realized in this period bear an important testimony of the experimentation on the theme of economical houses. The Ina-Casa neighborhoods were received with great interest and attention from the Italian population of that time, both for their social function and their innovative architectural design. The construction of these neighborhoods represented a great collective effort for the reconstruction and modernization of the country. As such, it was seen as a symbol of hope and rebirth for post-war Italy. The Tamburi neighborhood, sadly notorious for the ILVA dust and all its repercussions on the health of its inhabitants, represented one of the first models of the neighborhood of almost completely popular vocation when it was built and at the service of the nearby industries. The paper, combining archive research with investigation on the places, aims to raise awareness of one of the first interventions in Taranto, the so-called “semi-rural maisonettes” of the Tamburi neighborhood. The complex, one of the first examples of economical and popular housing for city workers, is described through its figurative, functional, and technological features, images, and surveys. Lastly, the paper proposes a possible requalification that allows the complex to improve its performance.

The home is a fundamental part of life, serving as a refuge and consuming significant economic and material resources. However, housing issues have become complex, gaining social and regulatory interest. Factors like housing size, crowding index, social housing, and housing codes significantly impact living quality and well-being. This research investigates domestic space and its relationship with users in new housing developments. It examines how standards influence living space design to meet needs for adequate space and social sustainability through social housing policies. The study analyses the crowding index as a key quality parameter, proposing scenarios for evolving home concepts to meet contemporary needs. The analysis considers demographic changes, household structure shifts, and the impact of working conditions on housing sustainability and social cohesion. It addresses economic challenges in securing adequate housing and managing family health and education, emphasising the need for inclusive housing policies. The paper views housing as crucial for dignity and sustainability, advocating for a holistic approach that sees housing as an integrated ecosystem supporting social and individual dynamics. It highlights how social housing models can combat overcrowding, improve life quality, and promote social inclusion.

The theme of “home” and its implications is a central issue in the Italian political and cultural debate. However, this debate seems to have shifted the interest from a more pragmatic approach that saw the house as a simple good of shelter to a more complex one, which sees the house as the “result of a complex network of material and immaterial, social and economic relations” [Ricci, 2008]. The paper investigates the “housing problem” in a specific context of the municipality of Foggia, referring to economic and social housing. After a brief excursus on the urban development of Foggia, which led to the creation of residential satellite districts, the case of the Biccari district is examined. The district for consistency and conformation of economic and social housing compartments stands as an interesting experimental design area. The purpose is to propose possible scenarios for the redevelopment of a neighborhood with strong polarities but is currently configured as a dormitory district. The idea of proposed regeneration starts from the analysis of the possible type of users and then the definition of possible housing scenarios that can give a new impetus to the area under study and optimize public housing that is currently underutilized. This leads to the proposal of intervention on the entire body of the neighborhood with the optimization of the existing and the completion of some urban voids with new buildings in which to operate with a housing mix that is capable of transforming the entire neighborhood into a co-operating community.

In people’s imagination, the dwelling represents a fundamental part of life. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed people’s usual way of living, working, entertaining, and leading life. The situation has imposed a radical rethinking of the constructed environment. In fact, problems connected to the quality of buildings, not only energetic, have emerged and those related to the general well-being, with particular attention to the space where everyday life takes place and the requirement of external spaces such as balconies or terraces, has emerged. This chapter covers an aspect of well-being related to the quality of space in the dwelling and its characteristics as a place for living. The case study regards the economic and popular buildings located in the city of Bari. The case study highlights contrasting living conditions, which impose a generalized review of the dwelling.

The public housing stock across the European Union is generally constituted of old buildings (built prior to 1980) with high energy demand and indoor thermal comfort issues, which could be exacerbated by climate change. The aim of this paper was to quantify the impact of climate change on the energy demand of the public housing building stock. A neighbourhood located in Bari (south Italy) is considered as representative of a common construction typology of late 1970s in Italy. Energy models were created and calibrated with real-time data collected from utilities’ bills. The results showed a medium to strong correlation between age and energy consumption (r = 0.358), but no evident correlation between the number of tenants and energy consumption, although a significantly low energy consumption was found in apartments occupied by more than five tenants. An energy penalty of about 7 kWh/m² of heating energy consumption for every 10 years of increase in the average age of tenants was calculated. Moreover, the impact of future weather scenarios on energy consumptions was analysed and an average annual energy penalty of 0.3 kWh/m² was found.