Grafting urbanism

Genoa’s situation entails two of the biggest problems of the contemporary city: land consumption and increasing private mobility (closely related to urban sprawl). The proposed strategy is twofold: densifying to prevent sprawl and intensifying the urban system to generate habitability. In both cases, public space is essential. In a critical situation, the easiest solution is the “tabula rasa” but it is more efficient and meaningful to give value to what already exists. The abandoned industrial areas and the “Dighe” are important references for collective identity, so the real challenge – socially and economically – is to improve, to transform if necessary, and to reuse. The verb “graft” in the title emphasises the concept: to instil new potential, like an old plant that gives new fruits.