An assessment-based process for modifying the built fabric of historic centres: The case of Como in Lombardy

Abstract

The assignment of admissible degrees of change to the building stock of an historic centre is one of the most important factors to be taken into account when developing an urban plan, because it establishes the possibilities of making changes to an existing urban fabric, or not; and since urban cores formed in ancient times contain the most significant concentrations of high-quality historic/architectural heritage, it is necessary to identify a way of specifically breaking down the changes to each building that are possible. In the case of Como, analysis of the morphological and socioeconomic characteristics of the fabric of the walled town and its extramural historic villages, and then the application of multivariate geostatistics, produced one such classification of this context in the form of six possible scenarios for change, of which the most significant was selected as the most effective for setting in train a profound upgrading of Como's built fabric, which is currently in a state of advanced degradation. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.