Battlescape by Ahmed Nasr Abdelsalam

B att les c ap e

Turning a Landscape of Conflict into Opportunity

School Of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering

Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree course in Landscape Architecture. Land Landscape Heritage Academic Year 2019-2020 Thesis Advisor: Prof. Federico Zanfi Co Advisors: Prof. Paolo Bozzuto & Arch. Paola Elena Maghenzani Student: Ahmed Abd El Salam Identification No.: 904027 October 2nd, 2020

B att les c ap e

Turning a Landscape of Conflict into Opportunity

Statement Italiano

Il costante abuso delle zone costiere leccesi negli ultimi 50-70 anni, caratterizzato dal rapido aumento di edifici abusivi e della rete stradale e dall’uso improprio degli elementi naturali (corpi idrici, dune di sabbia, zone umide ... ecc.), ha progressivamente privato l’area del suo valore, trasformandola in una terra desolata, disabitata e vulnerabile. L’area un tempo nota per la sua agricoltura estensiva e per la presenza di alcuni antichi oliveti, sta ora regredendo ogni giorno, lontano dal litorale, a causa della perdita del valore del suolo e di sostanze nutritive fondamentali per una tale crescita agricola. Tuttavia, una tale espansione dell’ambiente urbano costruito non può essere semplicemente ritirata ripristinata o rimossa, né può essere ignorata. Una tale espansione deve essere gestita e consapevolmente affrontata con un intento progettuale socialmente responsabile. Questa espansione non autorizzata, perpetrata negli anni, è stata proficua per un certo periodo, ma ad oggi non è più sostenibile. Questo abuso del territorio e dell’ambiente naturale ha portato al degrado del sistema naturalistico esistente e del tessuto degli insediamenti abitativi. Il tema di ricerca e progettazione proposto è quello di studiare i limiti delle forze contrastanti della natura e delle espansioni antropiche, all’interno di un quadro politicamente e socialmente accettabile, per raggiungere un’area sufficientemente neutra da consentire il ripristino dei cicli naturali, pur controllando l’espansione dell’ambiente costruito. In breve, una separazione delle aree, dove il sistema naturale e quello costruito sono nettamente separati da una zona intermedia che non rientra in nessuno dei due sistemi (Fringe). L’area di interesse ai fini della tesi è l’intera estensione del litorale leccese, dove è stata mappata l’entità dei danni e l’andamento dell’espansione urbana, mostrando al contempo le aree con capacità naturali e potenzialità di ripristino dei cicli naturali e le zone di consolidamento degli insediamenti urbani. Ai fini del progetto (design), è stato approfondito un focus sul litorale a partire da Torre Rinalda, passando per Spiaggiabella fino a Torre Chianca, dove l’avvio del concept progettuale può essere proposto come soluzione prototipale del problema. Sono stati definiti quindi degli interventi puntuali lungo la costa in funzione dell’entità dei danni che essa ha subito nel corso del tempo. Si spera che il progetto proposto possa essere abbastanza articolato da essere applicato lungo l’intera costa leccese. Un piccolo passo verso la creazione di un insediamento costiero più resistente e sostenibile lungo la costa orientale della regione Puglia.

Statement English

The steady abuse of the coastal areas of Lecce during the past 50-70 years, marked by the rapid increase of unauthorized buildings and road network, and the misuse of the natural elements (water bodies, sand dunes, wetlands...etc), has robbed the area of its value throughout time, turning it to an uninhabited and defenseless wasteland. The area once known for its extensive agriculture and the existence of some of the oldest olive groves, is now regressing everyday away from the shoreline, due to the loss of soil value and nutrients crucial for such an agricultural growth. Nonetheless, such an expansion of the urban built environment cannot simply be taken back or removed, nor can it be overlooked. Such an expansion has to be addressed, it has to be consciously targeted with a socially responsible design intent. This historical unauthorized expansion has been benign for some time, but not anymore. This abuse of the land and of the natural environment has lead to the decay of the existing fabric of natural systems, extending to the intruding urban settlements. The proposed topic of research and design is to study the limits of the clashing forces of nature and man-made expansions within a politically and socially acceptable framework. Trying to reach an area neutral enough to allow for the restoration of natural cycles, while subtly controlling the expansion of the built environment. In short, this approach creates a separation of different areas where the natural and the built systems are clearly segregated with an intermediate zone that falls under neither of the two systems (Fringe). The area of interest for the general research shall be the whole extension of the coast of Lecce, where the extent of damage and the progress of urban expansion can be mapped, while showing areas with natural capabilities and potential of restoring the natural cycles and urban settlement consolidation zones. For project (design) purposes, the areas starting from Torre Rinalda, passing by Spiaggiabella till Torre Chianca will be the main focus, where the initiation of the proposed design concept can be shown as a prototype solution for the problem. This particular focus is selected for the extent of damage it has reached. The proposed design can hopefully be sophisticated enough to be applied along the whole coast of Lecce. The project represents a small step in the pursuit of creating more resilient urban-tolerant coastal settlements along the eastern coastline of Apulia region.

Table of Contents

01. CittĂ Abusiva

Unauthorized Urban Expansion in Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mezzogiorno Chronicle of the Abuse Case Studies (Most Infamous) Lecce: Dream of a Second Home by the Beach Lecce: Urban Expansion Through Time (1948 - 1977 - Today)

02. Waste of a Land: A Photographic Narrative

The Result of Degradation and Abuse of the Natural Environment Narratives Shore-line Built Environment Fresh Water

03. Grim Future: Climate Change

Discussing the Inevitable Future of Sea Level Rise on the Coast of Lecce Global & European Sea-Level Rise Coast of Lecce 2100 Olive Quick Decline Syndrome

04. Battlescape

Environmental Regeneration Proposal Site Introduction Analysis & Interpretation Strategic/Structural Plan Concept & Strategy (Fringe) Masterplan Detailed Interventions

05. Bibliography Resource Materials & References Used

126

01 Città Abusiva Unauthorized Urban Expansion in Italy’s Mezzogiorno Fig. 1 - “These indefinite forms, between upcoming ruins and potential sculptures, are drawing the figure of a strange present between dystopia and utopia.” Amélie Labourdette. Source: Empire of Dust (2015), © Amélie Labourdette.

Chronicle of the Abuse A Historical Recapitulation of the Events that Lead to the Current Situation

Introduction and Context During the second half of the 20th century, Italy’s Mezzogiorno - the macro region representing the southern half of Italy - was, and still is, where the phenomenon of illegal construction has always maintained higher levels compared to the rest of the country. To understand the situation, a brief context must be provided. Italy, Post-war Demands Post-war Mezzogiorno, where the acute housing shortage, the overcrowding, inadequate hygiene and lack of sanitation; a situation that was common in both old towns and most rural communities. From the 1950s onwards, new lifestyles and consumption models began to emerge in Italy, and in the south more than the rest of the country. The strong desire for change inspired by the collective sense of optimism and general well-being that enabled people to afford new houses and consumer goods, however innocent, was deeply poisoned by ignorance, poverty, and the profoundly engraved culture of backward customs and attitudes. Among these desires was the pursuit of ‘family home’, an idea of significant importance through the Mezzogiorno, where housing shortage and persisting poverty were more evident. The newly found freedom to act, accompanied by the ability of people to afford moving out to the suburbs to raise a family, instead of living in the expensive overcrowded city, were part of the phenomena that directly resulted from the social and economic boom in Italy after WWII. Dream of a Second Home by the Sea Much like the pursuit of the ‘family home’, the dream of a ‘second home by the sea’ manifested in cities with closer proximity to the sea. It represented a place where the family got to spend the long summer while also repairing their home. This flow of resources and manpower created a huge market for the unemployed to invest and work in the building speculation, which at the time was as illegal and extensive as it was out of necessity. The demand created by the needs of people, and the speculation business which pried on these needs, laid foundation to the abnormal growth that emerged in the informal building sector. This so-called ‘growth’ has been more noticeable in the Mezzogiorno than the rest of the country. Among the many reasons for such effect to take place were the poor regulatory plans put to manage this informal – mostly illegal – growth. Another reason was the implicit encouragement by the local authorities of such actions – namely self-building – as they helped deploy the energies of the jobless, and helped such authorities gain a political immoral advantage against claims of public right to housing. Building concessions were then given by corrupt authorities as a way of consolidating their power over the issues of the public.

On the other hand, there was no alternative: more effective planning measures did not work and public-sector housing schemes offered too little, too late—and, in the south, even less and later than in the rest of the country.” Zanfi, 2013. 10

CittĂ Abusiva Molise

69.5

Campania

63.3

Calabria

61.8

Sicilia

56.0

Basilicata

53.9

Puglia

38.9

Abruzzo

32.0

Sardegna

29.9

Umbria

28.4

Lazio

22.4

Liguria

18.5

Toscana

14.6

Marche

13.2

E. Romagna

8.1

Veneto

7.2

Lombardia

6.8

Piemonte+V. dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aosta

5.9

Friuli V.G. Trentino A.A. Italia

6.7

4.6 1.5 19.7 18.9

47.3

Fig. 1 - Illegal Building in Italy. Ratio of illegal houses built in 2015 for every100 legal houses Source: ISTAT - BES 2016 11

Città Abusiva

Sinister Laissez Faire This unethical implicit agreement between the public and the local authorities, which operated throughout Italy – but mostly noted in the south – can be understood as a more sinister expression of the term ‘laissez faire’, which caused the discrepancy between the rhetoric of urban planners of the period and what was actually happening on the ground. The term ‘Mobilitazione individualistica’, first mentioned by Alessandro Pizzorno, was meant to describe the actions of individual families prompted by the defective authorities’ use of their own disadvantage. Stuck between corrupt and colluding public authorities, and the poor alternatives presented by the public-sector housing and planning, Italians (at the time) found illegal construction to be the only option, which is why the urban fabric of the Mezzogiorno was riddled by illegal construction down to its core. Necessity and Speculation The situation created an opportunity for building firms to speculate using the loop-holed ineffective planning regulations at the expense of peoples’ needs and dreams. The corrupt local officials along with speculation building firms used the imperfect system to impose their amoral market, which had no regard for landscape or planning ethics. Rise and Fall of the Building Amnesty The collusion of authorities, the speculation of building firms, the weakness of planning measures, the lack of initiative of the public housing sector, and the nonstop increase in unauthorized construction: it is only within this specific context that the ‘condono edilizio’ can be truly understood. The ‘condono’, is an amnesty designed to grant retrospective approval of illegal and unauthorized construction, as a way of making up for unpaid building taxes that have been evaded for years. In order for planned urban regeneration to take place, these illegal buildings needed to apply for the amnesty, which as a result usually tends to harmonize illegal settlements with the rest of planned urban sectors. Although it was intended as a seemingly exceptional, remarkably forgiving state law in 1985, the later reintroduction of the amnesty proved to be more of a burden to the state. In fact, it consolidated the idea that illegal behavior will later be pardoned, and laws should later on follow to make up for such unauthorized behavior. The surges of illegal construction that used to follow every new amnesty law proved to be the downfall of the amnesty as a whole. Not only did the amnesty invoke new illegal behaviors to subsist, it also forced local authorities to include these illegal constructions in regeneration plans of their respective regions, the cost of which far exceeded the actual amnesty paid. “Italians were encouraged to work out their own solutions by taking advantage of incentives and the paradoxically opportune lack of controls on the part of local authorities. On the other hand, there was no alternative: more effective planning measures did not work and public-sector housing schemes offered too little, too late—and, in the south, even less and later than in the rest of the country.” Zanfi, 2013. 12

Città Abusiva

Coastal Abusivismo The situation on the coasts along Mezzogiorno tends to be more drastic, as coasts represent the pinnacle of a dream, where an out-of-city family house gets to be close to the sea, and in most cases directly on the beach. “Cement in Italy is more easily kneaded if there is a sea view”, a common phrase which describes how coasts attract illegal construction and how easily buildings are erected. Villas, swimming pools, restaurants, beaches, campsites and resorts are often built directly on the sand. A phenomenon explained by Legambiente, according to a recent ISTAT study in the decade from 2001-2011, which recorded almost 18,000 new properties and constructions directly on the coast, adding to the existing ones. The record for the built seafront lies with Puglia and Sicily, with over 700 buildings per square kilometer. Calabria then follows with 600. Some of the most beautiful views of the south remain ruined due to the selfish immoral eco-monsters that stand out directly on the shores.

Fig. 1 - Aerial photo taken for the abandoned coast of Castel Volturno showing the outrageous assault on the shore. Source: ABC News, © Louie Eroglu 13

Study Cases Infamous Cases of Unauthorized Urban Expansion in Italy’s Mezzogiorno

Agrigento, 1966 Agrigento is a hilltop medium-sized city on Sicily’s southwest shore. It’s known for the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas in the Valley of the Temples, a vast archaeological site with well-preserved Greek temples. Regardless of the historic and touristic value, Agrigento has been infamous for the rapid expansion that took place during the 1950s and the 1960s; an expansion that may very well have triggered the landslide that shook Agrigento in 1966. The landslide the occurred on the 19th of July 1966, fortunately, no deaths or injuries had been recorded, says Mario Cervi on the front page of the “Corriere della Sera”. However, the landslide had affected an area of about 200,000 square meters, causing a “significant number of buildings” so serious damages that they were forced to be demolished, leaving 7,541 people homeless, almost fifth of the city’s population (as mentioned in the report that accompanied the decree-law approved by the Council of Ministers session of 29-30 July 1966).

Fig. 1 - Building development in Agrigento between 1958 and July 1966. Source: Commission of inquiry into the urban-building situation in Agrigento, Report to the Minister, Giacomo Mancini, Ministry of Public Works, Rome, 1966. 14

CittĂ Abusiva

The debate on the causes of the landslide, attributable to natural factors or human intervention (particularly illegal construction), triggered a widespread inquiry to investigate these aforementioned causes. The responsibilities of such causes may be of a purely administrative nature, or a political one; they can be confined to either a local or a more regional level; they may be clearly identifiable and therefore punishable, or generalized and therefore elusive. The commission in charge of conducting the investigation on the urban-building aspect handed over a report in the situation in Agrigento. The report mapped the development of the city after the war, detecting a series of problematic aspects. It mentioned that the building stock had grown far more than the population (between the years 1950 and 1965) as the ratio of increase has been 118% and 20% respectively, but the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;evident distortion between demand and offerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the construction market had not solved the housing problem. Due to extensive speculation, the built did not meet the needs of the social groups who most needed a home, particularly, low-income families.

Fig. 2 - View of Agrigento towards the Valley of the temples. Source: Commission for the investigation of the urban planning and construction situation in Agrigento, Report to the Minister, Giacomo Mancini, Ministry of Public Works, Rome, 1966. 15

Città Abusiva

The commission of inquiry, mentions Zanfi (2013), established that the causes of the disaster were triggered by the collapse of several buildings that had been illegally constructed on the slopes around the urban center, where the land was prone to subsidence. He continues “Speculation by building firms and widespread corruption among local officials had created a tacit agreement whereby planning and landscape regulations were systematically circumvented. As a result, high-rise housing had been sited on unsuitable land, further weakened by unchecked development”. In the same report made by the commission of inquiry, was stated “the frequency, the multiplicity and the seriousness of the violations put in place suggests that the directors started from the actual belief that the regulation was a purely formal, facade or convenience document”. The National magazine Urbanistica published a report in an issue entirely dedicated to the landslide of Agrigento and the floods that hit Florence, Venice and Veneto in November 1966. The editorial by the director Giovanni Astengo, who had been part of the inquiry commission, highlighted “the close connection between the planning shortcomings and the recent territorial instabilities”, which were the consequence of the misuse of the land, both in the form of a continuous and senseless decay of ancient natural balanced ecosystems, and of violent and obstinate intensive exploitation of the land for building purposes. In both cases, nature, unreasonably challenged, suddenly unleashed its terrible and admonishing fury. In both cases, human improvisation is at the root. And if, in the imminence of the sudden maturity of the tragedy, even the most rudimentary form of organized notice was lacking, at the origins a much wider and continuous unexpectedness looms, which is expressed in the lack of rational use of the tools of territorial and urban planning.

Fig. 1 - Agrigento infamous landslide, after effects and damaged properties. Source: Corriereagrigento.it 16

“The population of Agrigento today experienced an extremely dramatic day. In the early hours of the morning, a gigantic landslide shifted the ground on which five districts lie south of the city center, towards Porto Empedocle and the sea. Three buildings under construction have collapsed, about twenty houses are unsafe and many other buildings could be involved in the disaster if the immense slip of the height on which the devastated area stands continues in the coming days and becomes faster. According to the news tonight, about five thousand people have had to flee their homes and seek makeshift accommodation.” Mario Cervi, special correspondent to Agrigento, reported on the front page of the “Corriere della Sera” the landslide that occurred in the city of temples on July 19, 1966.

Città Abusiva

Fig. 3 - Detail of the landslide area downstream of via Dante. Source: Urbanistica, no. 48, 1966. Fig. 2 - Typical cases of construction infringement (irregular volumes in color). Source: Commission for the investigation of the urban planning and construction situation in Agrigento, Report to the Minister, Giacomo Mancini, Ministry of Public Works, Rome, 1966.

Fig. 4 - Cover page of Urbanistica magazine, it has an eloquent entirely black cover which bears only the inscription: “July-November 1966: Agrigento in Venice. Venice”. Source: Urbanistica, no. 48, 1966. 17

Città Abusiva

Pizzo Sella, Palermo Among the most indigestible stories of unfinished and eco-monsters in Sicily is that of Pizzo Sella in Palermo, renamed “la collina del disonore” meaning “the hill of dishonor”, overlooking the Gulf of Mondello. The story of a massive real estate speculation that hides the ‘Cosa Nostra’ recycling operations, is in the top five of Legambiente 2013 Mare Nostrum Dossier, but it began more than forty years ago. It was in 1978, that the Municipality of Palermo issued the building permits for the construction of 170 properties to Sicilcalce Spa. Villas that were built outside all legal regulations and in a completely illegal way. The first report of the Carabinieri of 1984 describes an alarming picture not only from the point of view of unauthorized building: “the crimes configured and then confirmed

by the convictions range from abuse of office to corruption, involving the then city planning councilor and two officials of the Municipality of Palermo.”

Fig. 1 - A view of the hill at Pizzo Sella (La collina del disonore), Palermo. Source: La Collina del Disonore (2016), © Andrea Calistri.

Città Abusiva

It is in 2001 that a single sentence of the Supreme Court decides the confiscation, demolition and restitution of the green mountain of the area. A sentence unfortunately complied with only in the part relating to the confiscation and only temporarily. Part of the villas were , in fact, returned in 2010 by the Court of Cassation to private buyers revoking their confiscation , because they were deemed to be in “good faith” at the time of purchase, or rather unaware that the villas had been built for money laundering. A dangerous precedent if used to justify thousands of cases of wild illegal activity. A question that poses an important dilemma: how to protect the buyer without forgetting the protection of the environment and the territory? One million square meters of concrete still deface the hill today, despite the battles and complaints of environmentalists and citizens for whom it is unacceptable that the Municipality of Palermo does nothing about it. Legambiente and numerous other associations ask to bring the bulldozers back to the hill and start the killing of the skeletons, an action that would put an end to a story that has already lasted too long and would finally bring the Sicilian town out of the rankings of the worst eco-monsters in the country.

Fig. 2 - One of the confiscated unauthorized buildings of Pizzo Sella. Source: Empire of Dust (2015), © Amélie Labourdette.

Città Abusiva

Castel Volturno, Caserta When Villaggio Coppola was built in the 1960s along the western Mediterranean coast of Italy, just north of Naples, the aspiration was of a Utopian residential area, but as it turns out, utopia quickly took a wrong turn. Around 12,000 apartments, along the seaside and in the nearby town of Castel Volturno, were built in violation of zoning laws, at a time when local authorities ignored development along the coast. Eventually, many residents were forced to leave. What remains today looks less like a utopia than a paradise lost, a site of abandonment and degradation, and a concentration of southern Italy’s abiding troubles: criminality, lax local governance and extreme poverty. The section originally designed for wealthier residents, Parco Saraceno, stands as a ghost town, including a now vacant but once popular hotel built to resemble a castle, a remnant of the village’s grand ambitions. Most of the once colorful constructions are a portrait of neglect, the streets and landscape often eerily deserted.

Fig. 1 - Parco Saraceno, originally designed for wealthier residents in Villaggio Coppola stands as a ghost town. Source: The New York Times (2017), © Dmitry Kostyukov. 20

CittĂ Abusiva

All along the coast, for dozens of miles even beyond the confines of Villaggio Coppola, singlestory buildings occupy the waterfront, steps from the beach and the sea. But rather than being a paradisaical refuge for holiday-goers and sunbathers, the beach has become a dumping ground for dirty mattresses and is lined by seafront porches where hardly anyone ever sits. Some still live there. Authorities have sporadically tried to restore the area. But the construction of a tourist harbor has long been stalled. While the juxtaposition of tourist development so close to such poverty may be jarring, the seaside remains the allure for all. Almost every resident in Parco Saraceno has a sea view, albeit sometimes obstructed by rusty satellite dishes. The neighborhood was once designated for expansion, but the foundations of the new homes became the repositories for anything blown in on the sea winds. Almost anything of value, including metal, has been stripped by scavengers. Yet from a distance, it is almost impossible to imagine the villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s utter decay and easy to envision it as the utopia it was intended to be, an oasis facing the open sky and blue sea.

Fig. 2 - Abandoned construction on the shore of Destra Volturno, a neighborhood in Castel Volturno, near Naples. Source: The New York Times (2017), ÂŠ Dmitry Kostyukov. 21

Lecce: Dream of A Second Home by The Beach Lecce, Post-war Dreams One of the many cases of coastal abusivismo along the coasts of Apulia region is Lecce, the city known primarily for its baroque style architecture and monuments. It has been since the mid of the last century that Lecce’s illegal construction began to take shape, with less and less control from authorities, the people began crawling little by little towards the sea. The flat landscape of the area allowed for easier expansion as needed, which did not boat well for the natural systems of the area; including dunes, wetlands, and water bodies. As always, the ‘condono edilizio’ was set as a preliminary solution, but with lack of control and the huge coasts of demolition, the area has now reached almost a 100% ratio of illegal building along the coast. The record for the built seafront lies with Puglia and Sicily, with over 700 buildings per square kilometer, Calabria then follows with 600. Some of the most beautiful views of the south remain ruined due to the selfish immoral eco-monsters that stand out directly on the shores.

Fig. 1 - An aerial photo of the area of Spiaggiabella, Lecce. The photo shows the accumulation of buildings close and directly on the beach. Source: Site survey (2019), © Chiara Magnini (Ade II). 22

Città Abusiva

Regulation and Demolition The coast continues to be the favorite victim of illegal activities: among villas, tourist and accommodation facilities, campsites, resorts and swimming pools, in 2017 there were over 700 artifacts per square kilometer, an Italian record together with Sicily. All this despite the fact that since 2012 the Region has approved Law No. 15 “Regulations on regional functions of prevention and repression of illegal building”, which provides for monitoring and financing for demolitions. According to the latest Legambiente Ecomafia Report (2017), Puglia sadly occupies second place in the ranking of the illegal cement cycle with 445 ascertained infringements, 10.1% of the national total, 597 people reported and 216 seizures carried out. In the last twenty-four years, Puglia has seen the disappearance of 50 kilometers of agricultural areas along the coast in favor of second homes, accommodation facilities, tourism and luxury villas. The violated landscapes of Puglia - specifically Lecce - keeps deteriorating; agricultural areas are receding, olive groves dying, and natural environment is not able to cope with the speed of changes and infringes of the urban growth. The following chapter will discuss thoroughly the extent of damage of the natural environment due to the extreme urbanization of coastal areas, which has interfered with the natural cycles of the area , causing both systems (natural & anthropic) to fail as they are not able to coexist. “We applaud with satisfaction the new season of demolition of illegal properties inaugurated by the Municipality of Lecce. The demolition of outlawed properties is the best deterrent to the new illegal activity. Fighting this scourge means not only restoring the law, but also restoring the violated landscape, a unique and inimitable heritage.” Francesco Tarantini, head of Legambiente in Puglia region.

Fig. 2 - An unauthorized building directly built on the Idume basin in Torre Chianca, Lecce. Source: vivavoce.web (2018).

Fig. 3 - The same unauthorized building while executing the demolition order. Source: vivavoce.web (2018). 23

Lecce: Urban Expansion Through Time From 1941, 1948,1977, up Till Today

Crawling Towards the Sea One of the many phenomena that occurred in Lecce, just like the rest of the south of Italy, was the freedom to act that were results of the social and economic boom after WWII. As a city with close proximity to the sea, Lecce, gradually started expanding towards the coast, creating what later became the five main marinas of Lecce; San Cataldo, Frigole, Torre Chianca, Spiaggiabella, and Torre Rinalda. The below sequence shows the historical evolution as registered in the IGM (Istituto Geografico Militare) maps for the years (1941-1948-1977). And comparing the results with the current situation along the coast. It is noted the clear marching towards the sea.

Fig. 1 - Lecce 1941-1948 Source: IGM Maps of 1941 & 1948.

Fig. 2 - Lecce 1948 - 1977 Source: IGM Maps of 1948 & 1977.

Fig. 3 - Lecce 1977 - Now Source: IGM Map of the year 1977.

CittĂ Abusiva Fig. 4 - Current Situation Map

02 Waste of A Land: A Photographic Narrative The Result of Degradation and Abuse of the Natural Environment Fig. 1 - An aerial photo of Torre Rinalda area showing the degrading coastal environment Source: Site survey (2019), ÂŠ Chiara Magnini (Ade II).

Narratives A Photographic Survey of the Existing Systems along the Coast

Site Survey, 10/10/2019 It is on that day that Politecnico di Milano organized a trip to survey the coast of Lecce, starting from the marina of Torre Chianca, passing by Spiaggiabella, and concluding with the marina of Torre Rinalda. The site survey was an activity planned by the course of ‘Built Environment & Landscape Design Studio’ 2019/2020. Lecce’s Coastal Environment The photographic survey carried out on that day was intended to show the current state of decay, abandonment, and ruin which has befallen the coastal settlements of Lecce. A situation which can only be described as total waste. Why a Photographic Narrative The current situation along the coast, from coastal erosion on the beaches to the deterioration of the agricultural system, can only be seen from a graphic perspective in order to grasp the extent of damage and understand the context of the situation. Thus, using photographs was the best solution to communicate the same understanding of the team members. Team & Credit © All photo credits go to Group 1 of the same course; Arianna Zambelli, Chiara Magnini & Yuan Wang. The work done by the team on the field and in the studio greatly helped with the thesis research. Coastal Environments The surveyed coastal environments include: •The Shoreline •Built Environment •Fresh Water