Italy's Suburbs: Aesthetic Neglect and the Unfulfilled Promise of Smart Cities
A 2012 ANCI conference in Turin on Smart Cities sparked enthusiasm for energy grids, intelligent neighborhoods, urban regeneration, and digital cities, but few tangible results remain. Renzo Piano's call for 'mending and urban regeneration' highlighted suburbs as spaces for social connectivity, yet most Italian cities outside historic centers suffer from graceless architecture dating to the second half of the 20th century. The Superbonus building frenzy failed to address aesthetics. Street art has been the only aesthetic revolution in suburbs over the past 15 years, but it is ephemeral and under-maintained. Suburbs have gained fame through TV series and artistic revivals, but little thought is given to their future. The author argues for reimagining suburban spaces to combine aesthetics, social aggregation, and pride of place, rather than accepting generational decay.
Key facts
- ANCI organized a Smart Cities conference in Turin in 2012.
- Renzo Piano advocated for 'rammendo e rigenerazione urbana' (mending and urban regeneration).
- By the end of the first decade of the 2000s, the majority of the world's population lived in cities, mostly in suburbs.
- Italian suburbs are dominated by architecture from the second half of the 20th century lacking aesthetic or functional grace.
- The Superbonus building incentive did not address aesthetic aspects of housing.
- Street art has been the only aesthetic transformation of suburbs in the last 15 years.
- Suburbs have gained visibility through TV series and artistic revivals.
- The author calls for reimagining suburbs to integrate aesthetics and social functions.
Entities
Artists
- Renzo Piano
- Banksy
Institutions
- ANCI
- Artribune
- Monti&Taft
- Amazon
Locations
- Turin
- Italy