Social housing as a response to housing needs: the case of Biccari neighborhood in Foggia

The theme of “home” and its implications is a central issue in the Italian political and cultural debate. However, this debate seems to have shifted the interest from a more pragmatic approach that saw the house as a simple good of shelter to a more complex one, which sees the house as the “result of a complex network of material and immaterial, social and economic relations” [Ricci, 2008]. The paper investigates the “housing problem” in a specific context of the municipality of Foggia, referring to economic and social housing. After a brief excursus on the urban development of Foggia, which led to the creation of residential satellite districts, the case of the Biccari district is examined. The district for consistency and conformation of economic and social housing compartments stands as an interesting experimental design area. The purpose is to propose possible scenarios for the redevelopment of a neighborhood with strong polarities but is currently configured as a dormitory district. The idea of proposed regeneration starts from the analysis of the possible type of users and then the definition of possible housing scenarios that can give a new impetus to the area under study and optimize public housing that is currently underutilized. This leads to the proposal of intervention on the entire body of the neighborhood with the optimization of the existing and the completion of some urban voids with new buildings in which to operate with a housing mix that is capable of transforming the entire neighborhood into a co-operating community.