Walkability and Urban Design in a Post-Earthquake City

Donato Di Ludovico; Paola Rizzi

doi:10.6092/1970-9870/6135

Donato Di Ludovico University of L’Aquila https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4650-4808
Paola Rizzi University of L’Aquila https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3008-034X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/6135

Keywords: Walkability, Urban Design, Spatial Planning, Transport

Abstract

The research described in this article concerns the issue of accessibility with a focus on the walkability in a city that is under reconstruction, such as the city of L'Aquila struck by a destructive earthquake in 2009. The reconstruction is determining a new urban layout in which there is a chaotic overlap of flows of the movements of vehicles and people, quite exceptional with respect to the configuration of an ordinary city. For example, the flows of heavy vehicles and work machines, linked to building reconstruction, and which also generate strong noise pollution and therefore a new soundscape, increase considerably. It is a city in which the return to the residences mixes with large building sites, in which urban transformations are very fast and must be governed through appropriate urban design instruments.

The main aim of this research is to define a strategy to realize a method able to calculate at the same time an overlapping indexes in order to classify streets according to how friendly they are for the pedestrian and bike. This theme is approached to a methodological level and is related to the interacting theme of urban design and new centralities. The tool used for this integration is the Strategic Urban Project, which the research experience has found to be more effective and with greater performance than the more traditional Land Use Planning. The design approach and methodology is to integrate urban design techniques with spatial planning techniques, in order to obtain a higher performance of pedestrian networks.

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Author Biographies

Donato Di Ludovico, University of L’Aquila

Donato Di Ludovico, PhD, researcher of Urban and territorial planning and design, Urban design professor at the University of L'Aquila (Engineering). He carries out scientific research activities within the new forms of Spatial and Strategic planning, Urban planning and design security oriented, knowledge and assessment systems (SEA). With regard to the Spatial planning, his research is focused on new models and new policies. He is currently secretary of INU Abruzzo-Molise section (National Institute of Urban Planning); director of Urban Laboratory for the Reconstruction of L’Aquila (LAURAq-INU/ANCSA); scientific responsible of AnTeA Laboratory (Territorial and Environmental Analysis) at the University of Aquila.

Paola Rizzi, University of L’Aquila

Paola Rizzi, Professor at University of L'Aquila of Urban Design and Planning. Founder of Diver S City UrbLab, Director of International Summer School Awareness & Responsibility of Environmental Risk, member of the Advisory Board of Directors of CUPUM. She has designed and conducted gaming simulation in urban planning and design, decision making process, environmental education, emergency and risk preparedness and prevention, disaster mitigation. She was and is consultant of public institution like APAT-ISPRA. She tought and teach urban design and planning in different countries as Poland, Germany, Austria, Indonesia, Romania, Russia, Thailand, US, Japan. She has been visiting research professor at Ritsumeikan University. Visiting Researcher at DMUCH-Ritsumeikan, visitng professor at Jagellonica University and Polytechnic of Cracow, Poland.

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