The Peep as a Tool for the Recovery of the Historic Centre: the Case of Bologna

The 1973 Popular Housing Plan for the historic centre of Bologna (Peep/Centro Storico) was part of a series of urban plans that aimed to solve the problem of housing needs in the most densely populated areas of Italy’s historic cities with the construc-tion of new residential neighbourhoods for the middle class and weaker segments of the population. In the specific case of Bologna, the Peep/Centro Storico was part of this season, but it was distinguished by the particular attention it paid to the enhancement of the hi-storic centre, respecting the morphology and architectural identity of the city, without compromising the quality of life of its residents. This article wants to outline the case of the Peep/Centro Storico to understand it in the general history of the city, in its actualization, and as a result of the interpretation of the wider legislative framework that allowed the application of Law 167/1962. The-refore, the Peep/Centro Storico is treated in relation to the interventions realised in the first Peep development areas in Bologna and analysed at the architectural scale, to ex-plain the methods of execution of the “conservative restoration” applied, and the pro-cess that led to the stipulation of agreements between public administration and ow-ners. In this way, it is possible to read the interaction of national and local laws that al-lowed for the implementation of interventions in the historic centre in accordance with the idea of “integrated conservation” later promoted by UNESCO and sanctioned by the Amsterdam Declaration in 1975.

Keywords: Peep/Centro Storico, Bologna, Integrated Conservation, Conservative Re-storation, Historic Center, Architectural Identity.

Ilaria Cattabriga, Il Peep come strumento per il recupero del centro storico: il caso di Bologna in "STORIA URBANA " 182/2025, pp 57-86, DOI: 10.3280/SU2025-182004