Re-Inventing Underground Space in Matera

Roberta Varriale

doi:10.3390/heritage2020070

Abstract

The site of Sassi in Matera originates from a troglodyte village that is believed to be one of the first human settlements in Italy. The structure reflects the progressive transformation of natural caves into closed caves for urban use, and over time has distinguished a complex urban landscape that can only be fully appreciated when observed in cross-section. During the 20th century, the demographic rise and the socio-economic decline of the area turned these dwellings into a socio-environmental disaster and the area was definitively evacuated in the 1960s. Since then, the underground settlement has been revisited and is now considered and valorized as a cultural site. Inscribed in the UNESCO list in 1993, Sassi in Matera is the current European Capital of Culture (2019). This paper presents a brief overview on the worldwide approach to historical underground artifacts within contemporary urban planning, followed by an analysis of the application of the recent classification for underground built heritage (UBH) to Sassi. The different levels of reuse that have been carried out in Matera during the last decades are examined with a particular focus on the difficulties in facing gentrification, and examples of possible remedies provided by “ethical conservation for architecture” that preserves the communication of historical functions are discussed.

Highlights

Underground space represents a strong catalyzing element for the creation of sustainable urban development, as well as long-term economic and social growth
The approach described in the present paper was the final test for the definition of the classification of the case studies within the proposal for the COST action Underground4Value (Underground Built Heritage as a Driver for Community Valorization) [14]
The financed project will run from April 2019 to April 2023 and is directed towards the establishment and implementation of a “network of experts who promote balanced and sustainable approaches for the conservation of the underground heritage and, fulfill the potential of underground space in urban and rural areas for regeneration policies

Summary

Introduction

Underground space represents a strong catalyzing element for the creation of sustainable urban development, as well as long-term economic and social growth. The use, and reuse of underground space has been increasingly recognized as a valuable tool for sustainable urban development and in many countries, and has often been elevated to a strategic level for long-term economic and social planning. Since energy-saving and eco-friendly construction approaches have become an important part of modern development, with a special emphasis on resource optimization, underground planning has acquired a key role in ensuring that these solutions as well as new materials and processes are incorporated in the most efficient manner. In an apparent contrast to this approach, underground space is revealing good potential in the communication of cultural values in both urban and rural contexts, encouraging an increasing number of monitoring, preservation and divulgation initiatives. In addition to being based on the pre-existing, solid, diffused and highly specialized knowledge, urban underground regeneration includes cooperative actions

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