The course develops the issues related to the preservation and conservation of architectural heritage, examining the maturation of historic preservation in Europe as a grown cultural process: from the protection of few monumental works of architectures to the preservation of urban districts, and indeed whole historic towns, cultural landscapes and historic sites.

Because of a new perspective for the value of the past, the preservation domain is being enlarged by radically increasing the types of artefacts being considered worthy of protection and conservation: in addition to monumental high-style architecture - traditionally the preservation concern - whole new categories of sites are now recognized as equally meritorious: cultural and natural landscapes, historic towns and villages, historic parks and gardens, vernacular and industrial settlements, intangible heritage. The scale of the artefact being considered as requiring preservation is being expanded to include very large ones (for example wide landscapes or historic towns) as well as reduced, to include very small ones (for example historic features).

The urban preservation specificity is not only a question of scale, but also of methodological approach: we must study our territory as a continuum of diffused cultural sites and not as a simple container of single building of historical interest isolated from its environmental context.

We can define urban preservation as the discipline facing the architectural heritage and cultural landscape protection, conservation, and use problems.

Particularly the course regards: the new concept of monument, the origins of urban restoration approach; the European Preservation Codes, the heritage preservation laws and agencies in Italy; the preservation and conservation of historic centers and districts, cultural landscapes (rural landscapes, vernacular architectures, historic routes and trails, historic parks and gardens, periurban landscapes), open air museums, examining the current approaches and instruments aimed at the identification and preservation of cultural heritage.

Students (also working in small groups) must develop a research regarding an historic site/a cultural landscape area / a small municipality conservation analysis to define preservation goals.

 The focus of the oral exam will cover the issues of the lessons and the bibliography and also the discussion of the student’s research.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

- J.Earl, Building Conservation Philosophy, Donheat, Shaftesbury, 2003

- J.M.Fitch, Historic Preservation, Curatorial Management of the Built World, The University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville and London, 1990

- The European Landscape Convention – 2000

- AA.VV., Paesaggi periurbani: Linee guida paesaggistiche per il governo del territorio – Periurban Landscapes: Landscape planning guidelines. Linee Guida – Guidelines Pays.Med-Urban 03, Regione Lombardia DG Sistemi Verdi e Paesaggio , Struttura Paesaggio. Pays Med Urban, Milano, 2011

http://www.reti.regione.lombardia.it/shared/ccurl/305/603/RL_Bassa_IT.pdf

- - M.Boriani, A.Cazzani, Cultural Heritage Preservation in Italy, in: G.Casnadi (edited by), The Politecnico di Milano in Armenia, Oemme edizioni, Venezia, 2014, pp. 33-42 

Additional references will be provided during the course and during the reviews.

The exam will be oral.

The focus of the oral exam will cover - by theoretical questions - the issues of the lessons and the bibliography and also the discussion of the student’s research in order to evaluate the abilitily of the students to connect the various urban restoration topics with their researches.

A.Cazzani, M.Boriani, Cultural heritage preservation in Italy, pp.33-42