Rigenerare le città restituendo territorio: il metodo Rifo per il dismesso e l’obsoleto

The Rifo research conducted at the CST-DiathesisLab of the University of Bergamo has shown that building stock to requalify in Lombardy is about 70 million cubic meters and it must be tackled by relating brownfields to obsolete buildings. The action is necessary throughout the whole territory, but it is more urgent in urban areas that in the last fifty years have produced an industrial or state-owned building surplus (brownfields) and have neglected the maintenance of public residential buildings (the ERP obsolete houses) which are expensive to requalify today. The Rifo method proposed by this research can satisfy a large part of needs for ERP (public residential buildings) or social housing. In the meantime, it can act against soil consumption, as it aims at giving back part of waterproofed soil – a source of hydrogeological instability – to inhabitants. By a radical intervention finalised to replace old or unused buildings that do not possess any architectural value or do not meet contemporary urban needs, covered surfaces can be reduced and open spaces can be acquired for green areas to be used for recreational, cultural or sporting purposes. This action aims at giving back part of waterproofed soil to local communities.