The urban form after growth

In a historical period that sees the arrest of urban growth, if not its contraction, the ways to approach the theme of its form are placed in new conditions, never experienced in modern and contemporary times. Moreover, the current historical phase puts at the heart of the project new approaches and new ingredients, necessary to face the challenges of our time: climate change, new values and new needs for a new urban population. The theme is currently at the center of the reflection of a great deal of knowledge, from the macroscale (economy, environment, spatial planning, etc.) to that of construction (technologies, energy, eco-sustainability in architecture), but the approach of the disciplines that deal with the urban form still does not appear sufficiently clear. This is also due to the complexity of existing urban forms, which we must reflect upon. Working ‘within’ the existing urban form, to recognize its constituent features and to redefine its values, appears to be the greatest challenge for urban design, to be connected to the other major themes that cities pose, not least space justice, if we understand cities as a place of opportunities for human, civil, spiritual growth. The contribution aims to focus attention on this theme, through exemplary case studies that allow us to reflect on the current meaning of urban form in the becoming and in current conditions; with particular reference to the following themes that are particularly central to the approach adopted here today: deposits of the ‘900, suburbs and urban margins; metropolisation and local identity, open landscapes and urban landscapes.