Italian City Colour Plans (1978-2007)

Abstract

In the field of colour plans of historical city centres, the Colour Plan of Turin was the first to appear in Italy. Its restoration was directed by the writer between 1978 and 1983 - the ensuing period seeing its continuation under the auspices of the Municipality of Turin. By 1850, the colour plan, involving environmental standards with surprisingly sophisticated specifications, had been set out by the Conseil for the whole city. The concept was to invest principal streets and squares characterized by a uniform architecture with colours according to a co-ordinated system. Since 1978, nearly 50 colour plans have been directed by the author in many regions of Italy, in other European countries and beyond. Each of these ensuing colour plans represents a specificity due to the size, history and geology of each settlement. As is well known, Jones’ colour plan was based on the three primary colours: blue, yellow and red.