Keywords

1 Introduction

The Pescara-Chieti conurbation is an area characterised by strong dynamism due to the presence of many administrative, educational, health and cultural services. This urban condition permits important flows of people for work and study to Abruzzo. This has established Pescara as the main pole of attraction of the Abruzzo conurbation, both at a regional and supra-regional level. However, recent transformations in socio-economic and ecological conditions have imposed a revision of the overall governance of the conurbation in order to eliminate (or at least reduce) the spatial inequality between the compact city and the “dust municipalities”. The continuous evolution of the role of the Pescara-Chieti conurbation has modified the relations between different areas of the city and has generated new territorial dynamics.

Today, the urban condition that has emerged during the pandemic has exposed parts of the city, particularly in the hinterland and marginal areas, to obvious hardship. It is evident how covid-19 triggered spatial re-planning phenomena; creating a multipolar network between the current main pole (Pescara) and the contiguous fragments arranged around the “city in spatial continuity”. In the future, this could give rise to the emergence of new centralities defined by socio-economic dynamics, the housing market and the decisions of the city’s residents and users. The aim of the manuscript is to analyse the case of the regional metropolis Pescara-Chieti, highlighting the creation of a multipolar network between the city in spatial continuity and the conterminous fragments. This urban planning strategy should begin an incremental development of the conurbation in urban quality, social and economic issues. The results underline that conscious planning between the city in spatial continuity and neighbouring fragments can indicate urban areas where urban regeneration could take place. This article has attempted to define and describe the “city in spatial continuity and functionally integrated”. This document is divided into:

  • Literature review, intended as a reflection on the main research carried out on the theme of the medium-sized city and the debate on the Pescara-Chieti conurbation;

  • Methodology, that is setting out the various stages of the research;

  • Findings, i.e. the identification of areas without a functional mixitè and the city-effect;

  • Conclusions, that is a reflection on the future development of the Pescara-Chieti conurbation. The conclusions highlight how urban space can be reinterpreted as an active element of territorial dynamics.

2 Literature Review

2.1 Interpretation of Urban Periphery and Functional Mixitè

«Social relations, intra-firm networks, labour markets, built-up territories, infrastructure corridors and socio-environmental traces […] overlapped and connected with each other, to create what Jean Gottman had […] described as “an irregular colloidal fabric of rural and suburban landscapes”» (Brenner, 2015). These last words highlight the difficulty of interpreting the city in a direct and immediate way. This operation requires reflections on the functioning, the perimeter of the city and the movements of the population. These issues have already been the subject of many studies. Among the main Italian studies is the “Demix” researchFootnote 1 (MiBACT-DGAAP, 2017). This research investigated the degree of amenities (urban activities and services) in nine Italian metropolitan cities. The aim of the research was to identify the level of “functional mixitè” as the main factor in urban quality. This study was described as a valid methodology to support city-makers engaged in urban regeneration. In the Demix research, urban regeneration is not only viewed as redevelopment, but as socio-economic and cultural reactivation of settlement systems. In addition, the concept of the city-effect is particularly relevant. It is referred to as the sum of four urban categories: (i) territorial attractions; (ii) social, health and sports services; (iii) cultural activities and services; (iv) retail, crafts and tourism. This focuses attention on the local difference between urban services, but excludes the quality of public space, real and perceived urban safety and the distribution of property values. With the ecological transition and the urgent demand for sustainable cities, it is vital to include the quality of public space as a fundamental element of urban design. Therefore, the different urban spaces should not be “elements of chaos”, but “active urban elements” in the system of urban layers.

2.2 Network of Multipolar Centralities in Medium-Size Cities

If cities are nothing more than a form of urbanisation (Gandy, 2014), that is products of broader socio-spatial processes and socio-ecological transformation (Brenner, 2015), they cannot be reduced to a trivial perimeter. The interpretation of the city must highlight the functional interdependencies present in the network of “multipolar centralities”. In this regard, the research “Città medie e metropoli regionali” (Mascarucci, 2020),Footnote 2 using open data (OSM, Opendata Abruzzo) and statistical data (ISTAT), focused on studying the perimeter of the medium-sized city. The objective was to create an atlas whereby 30 medium-sized cities were analysed. These analyses were based on the use of four macro-categories: (i) area, (ii) city, (iii) centrality and (iv) urban amenities. The research has developed interpretative synthesis figures capable of restoring the spatial articulation of the intermediate urban system. Until now, intermediate systems were based on the role expressed by poles as the main providers of proximity services. The research “Città medie e metropoli regionali” has the merit of having opened up the debate on the level of organisation of urban services and territorial dynamics. This made it possible to identify the problems of the “metropolitan” dimension and the necessary design of new urban centralities.

In order to have an ideal geography, the research recognised the FUR (Functional Urban Areas-FUAs) (ESPON, 2006) and DMAs (Dynamic Metropolitan Areas) methodologies as useful tools to identify the perimeter of medium-sized cities. This approach has made it possible to restore the socio-economic structure and the links of functional interdependence between the different settlement systems. However, in order to highlight the concept of centrality, the research has integrated the classic statistical indicators with complementary categories for interpreting spatial phenomena (property values, accessibility, settlement continuity and modal interconnection). One of the main macro-categories adopted is centrality. This is the system of attractive places with a city-effect, defined by the assessment of the value of the heritage management, the level of urban density and the spatial spread of local tertiary activities. Therefore, centralities can be identified as architectural elements that generate a strong power of attraction or areas with a high identity value.

2.3 Pescara-Chieti: Post-pandemic Issues and the Metropolitan Dimension

Since 2014, the administrations of Pescara, Montesilvano and Spoltore wanted to merge municipalities. This strategy was named “Grande Pescara”. However, the territorial issues that arose during the pandemic discouraged this plan. Due to the pandemic, the institution of “Grande Pescara” was ineffective, as it didn’t consider the creation of a small metropolis. Today, the idea that emerges is the valorisation of the fusion of municipalities capable of fostering the development of activities and the territory. Therefore, the integration strategy cannot be based on the exclusive administrative merger between Pescara, Montesilvano and Spoltore. This would limit the development of the small regional metropolis.

Today, two main approaches to strategic planning are plausible. The first approach is based on the idea of the “city in spatial continuity”, that is the union of contiguous territorial systems with certain affinities. The second approach considers the idea of the “functionally integrated city” and interprets the territory through the use of the new ISTAT category of “day-time population” (Bocca, 2021). This makes it possible to consider not only the system of the “city in spatial continuity”, but also the urban systems (contiguous fragments) gravitating on the main pole (Pescara). Moreover, the ongoing process of metropolisation supports the goals of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the post-pandemic economic revival.

To achieve these objectives, functional mergers can be made between municipalities’ common goals, rather than mere programmatic mergers. Reference is made to the possibility of accessing funds from European programmes and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The resulting idea is the characterisation of new land use based on the regeneration of the city’s infrastructure and urban spaces. It highlights the need to favour the development of a renewed and sustainable habitat, starting from the design of roads for a real urban and territorial regeneration.

3 Methodology

The proposed work adopts the “Demix” research methodology, focusing not only on statistical issues and concentration of services, but also on the quality of urban space. This allows us to think about how urban quality can encourage a better urban experience. The first operation was a critical reading of the Labour market areas (LMAs) (ISTAT).Footnote 3 This reading reveals the density of economic relations in the area. These analyses show a socio-economic dimension that, looking exclusively at the perimeter of institutional geographies, is often not evident (or not at all) when considering multi-level governance. The analyses made on the Local Employment System check whether the municipalities included in the PUMAVFootnote 4 are able to reach their research goal. The evaluations show that an ideal geography could be built by the 9 municipalities of the PUMAV (Pescara, Montesilvano, Città Sant’Angelo, Spoltore, Manoppello, Chieti, San Giovanni Teatino, Ortona, Francavilla al Mare), with the integration of other administrations (Cappelle sul Tavo, Cepagatti, Silvi, Ripa Teatina, Torrevecchia Teatina). On this ideal perimeter, the gravitation of each municipality on the two poles of the conurbation Pescara-Chieti was calculated. Considering a gravitation of greater than 10%, this makes a ring of 20 municipalities, 5 of which have double gravitation (Cepagatti, Nocciano, San Giovanni Teatino, Torrevecchia Teatina, Francavilla al Mare) (Table 1).

Table 1 Commuting rate on Chieti and Pescara
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In the identified perimeter there are different settlement realities, classified by ISTAT as inhabited centres, living centres, industrial localities and scattered houses. These categories have helped to define the spatial continuity, which extends into Abruzzo conurbation. Consequently, “spatial continuity” was defined as the built-up urban space characterised by morphological-spatial density, high accessibility and efficiency of public mobility services. In this regard, the category of built-up areas was selected as the most functional category for the identification of spatial continuity. This level of continuity showed the aggregates of contiguous or neighbouring houses with interposed streets, squares and the like, or in any case short continuity solutions with a variable value of around 70 m. This continuity is characterised by the presence of services or public facilities (school, public office, pharmacy, shop, etc.) that give an urban condition of autonomous social life. This condition creates attractions for the inhabitants of nearby urban areas for various reasons (worship, education, business, food supply). This determines the existence of a social life coordinated by urban centres (ISTAT)Footnote 5 in the compact city. Therefore, the city in spatial continuity is characterised by a high connection between the individual urban components (places of community life and economic development) in the urban grid that ensures the connection towards the “dust municipalities” of the hinterland of the Pescara-Chieti conurbation. The city in spatial continuity is made up of five municipalities (Pescara, San Giovanni Teatino, Montesilvano, Francavilla al Mare, Città Sant’Angelo), with three discontinuities (or linear gaps) near San Giovanni Teatino, Silvi and Ortona. This interpretation has implications for the spatial and territorial functioning of the conurbation: on the one hand, thanks to the indifference of amenities location, it determines favourable “urban conditions”; on the other hand, it determines effects on the shape of urban settlements. Thus, fragments are not only single entities on the territory, but an active part of spatial development. They can play an important role in the revitalisation of the area, provided that they consider not only governance issues, but also local vocation and identity. According to the methodology adopted, three discontinuities or linear gaps (>150 m) are evident: (i) to the north at the border between Silvi and Montesilvano, (ii) to the south in the municipality of Ortona and (iii) to the south-west in the municipality of San Giovani Teatino. It is important to note that Chieti’s urban system remains outside the city in spatial continuity. This determines Pescara as the main pole of attraction of the compact city-system in spatial continuity. At the same time, around the compact city there are many urban fragments, defined as “conterminous fragments”. These “conterminous fragments” could be potential centralities if effectively networked through an adequate design of the infrastructure network (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Compact city and conterminous fragments

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These fragments behave differently according to the presence or absence of services and infrastructures. The presence of urban services determines the centrality and attractiveness of the urban fragment in comparison to the city in spatial continuity. In order to identify which neighbouring fragments are attractive, a census was made which shows the main urban services in the area (Fig. 2). This latter survey was based on the presence of: shopping centres (department stores, shopping centres, supermarkets); schools (nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, high schools and universities); public buildings and services (public buildings, courthouses, town halls and post offices); credit institutions (banks and ATMs); cultural centres (cultural centres, works of art, castles, museums, monuments, libraries, memorials and theatres); leisure (stadiums, attractions, cinemas, parks, sports centres and swimming pools); health (hospices, doctors, hospitals, pharmacy); barracks (police stations, fire stations). Once the amenities were identified, the journeys between the different census sections were analysed. This analysis was made through the interpretation of the functional connections between the compact city and the “conterminous fragments”. This analysis, based on the presence of public transport services, tried to define the “functionally integrated city”. The evaluations made confirmed the tendency of the compact city to attract and self-contain most of the people flows in the study area.

Fig. 2
figure 2

Compact city and conterminous fragments: flow and urban amenities

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Therefore, it is evident how the territory is characterised by multiple “spatial morphologies” that determine both social processes and the use of the metropolitan conurbation. In some cases, this has generated polarisation phenomena with an increase in geographical and socio-economic gaps. In addition, the health crisis and economic instability have revived the proximity dimension, as well as the promotion of local realities. The difference between centrality and polarity is obvious. It is shown in the creation of a polycentric network that is attractive to city users and promotes the area. A successful balance between attraction and self-containment generates urban well-being.

The next step was the definition of the “centrality index” (ISTAT), defined as the ratio between the incoming and outgoing flows from the single fragments, net of the employed people residing in the area considered. According to the calculations made, the higher the percentage value of the resulting flow, the greater the centrality in the territory. Moreover, the territory is crossed by different types of people on the move (city users, dynamic, static). Therefore, «the morphological and functional transformations of modern cities require not only the verification of daily flows related to workers, but also of the more sporadic flows created by the occasional consumers of the city» (Nuvolati, 2007). This urban condition is reflected in the emergence of new social relations in public and private spaces for different uses. In order to interpret the heterogeneous flow of dynamics on the territory, ISTAT (2020) has coined new definitions, including that of “day-time population”. Based on the new definitions the index of attraction was calculated (1), self-containment (2) and coexistence (3).Footnote 6 These indices are useful to interpret the imbalance between the population using the territory and the resident population.

$${I}_{attr}=\frac{A}{A+B+C}$$
(1)
$${I}_{autocont}=\frac{A}{A+C}$$
(2)
$${I}_{coe}=\frac{D}{E} \mathrm{with }D=E+C-B$$
(3)

A = Incoming dynamics; B = Incoming dynamics; C = Outgoing dynamics; D = Day-time population; E = Resident population.

4 Findings

A comparison between the flows of the Pescara-Chieti conurbation and neighbouring fragments shows that some of the latter have a high level of centrality. Examples are Chieti and Città Sant’Angelo, both historical settlement systems as well as centres of higher-level services. Based on a morphological and typological analysis of the urban environment, the different taxonomies were identified in relation to the city-effect levels and the linear distance to the nearest higher-level census section. Using the definitions proposed by the “Demix” research, the following were defined (Fig. 3):

Fig. 3
figure 3

City-effect

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  • Sezioni contermini or Neighbouring sections: These cannot be considered peripheral, despite low equipment. Moreover, the proximity to better equipped census sections results in regular and continuous configurations;

  • Sezioni soglia or Threshold sections: These have clear elements of discontinuity, even though they are part of the surrounding urban system;

  • Agglomerati discontinui e conclusi or Concluded and discontinuous agglomerations: These are complete urban fabrics, connected to the city in spatial continuity, but in discontinuity with it;

  • Costellazioni or Constellations: These are independent urban sections that form a poorly endowed and diffuse urban system. These work over medium and long distances;

  • Insediamenti orbitanti or Orbiting settlements: These are small fragments that live a relationship of attraction and dependence on the poles;

This has made it possible to explore the metropolitan territory and the condition of isolation that characterises the various fragments. The analyses highlight the functional rarefaction of some fragments, making it possible to identify those which can trigger the city-effect through spatial design. This condition would allow the fragments to go from being a territorial “ballast” to an active element of the Pescara-Chieti conurbation. However, these fragments could become hinges (or “pivots”) of wide area systems. This urban planning strategy would decline space not only at a local level, but also at a territorial level (Mascarucci, 2021a; 2021b). The new “small metropolitan region” approach would include a “territorial triangle” between Ortona, Silvi and Manoppello. Such a functioning would counteract the loss of the role of centralities by encouraging the urban system to function with an «isotropic character» (Viganò, 2010). Considering the population movement in the area, this leads to a focus on the quality of spatial design and the level of accessibility of the “spatially continuous and functionally integrated city”. This approach implies an «urban planning strategy that concerns […] mainly the physical part of the city […] of social inclusion and economic development» (Oliva & Ricci, 2017). It determines a configuration of a “city in spatial continuity and functionally integrated” that goes beyond the municipal boundaries of the main pole. These spatial analyses have shown the relationship between the compact city and services located beyond the geographical limits. The latter are waiting to be connected by a multipolar network through the design of new sustainable infrastructures.

These analyses, in addition to exposing a different approach to the planning of centrality networks, have highlighted the gap in the control of the design and image of public space. This underlines the lack of effective disciplinary management between the urban plan and the architectural definition of public space. In recent years, planning has focused on large-scale planning. However, urban quality cannot be guaranteed by this level of planning alone. It is the synthesis of personal satisfaction and social justification, creative processes and spatial performance. The revitalisation of the territory is hypothesised through a combination of different inputs: (i) motivational force and attractiveness of the place, (ii) universal accessibility, (iii) functional variety and mixed use of urban space, (iii) environmental well-being, and (iv) real and perceived safety. Thus, it is assumed that there is a direct link between the open and built space and the social practices that take place there. Based on the conceptual inputs presented, planning can initiate strategies within the centralities and urban sections identified above. Beyond sectoral and technical approaches, urban design can move towards a new holistic and comprehensive approach to achieving urban quality.

5 Conclusion

Until now, the city has been identified as the hyper-centre where everything is concentrated in a single urban pole. Today, the quest for psycho-physical well-being and the creation of a city on a human scale has made it possible to discover the value of proximity and of smaller historic centres. It is clear that in order to revitalise an urban area it is not enough to restyle the square or emulate the historic urban palimpsest. Moreover, the 15-min city concept can be read as an idea extracted from the morphological and spatial setting of the network of religious and civil structures of the historical system. If we translate this design approach into the current urban planning season, it is clear that there is a need for essential services within a short distance, first of all in peripheral and marginal contexts. Unfortunately, talking about essential services, equipment and facilities means considering how these are interpreted exclusively in monetary terms. In fact, until now the minimum endowment (services and equipment) has been made to a “monetisation”, often without this really regenerating the territory. Standards, services and equipment must evolve from an exclusively economic concept to a socio-ecological and performance-based one. However, the 15-min city approach is a partial answer to today’s urban problems. The different types of sections and agglomerations studied can help to identify urban areas where strategies to ensure urban quality can be implemented. However, it would be necessary to rethink services in relation to each other, as well as to the “places of urbanity”. It is an urban regeneration project capable of using skills and innovating public action and infrastructure. These considerations prompted institutions and researchers to focus mainly on the regeneration of the peripheral, which often suffer from social fragility, urban decay and lack of services.

Therefore, the continuous and progressive change in the role of urban places and territory must be supported by the construction of valid strategic visions. Urban space design must be able to activate dynamics in response to the need for recovery and resilience programmes (PNRR). Such a strategy would be able to answer positively to the environmental issues of the New Green Deal and the socio-economic recovery assets of the Recovery Plan. The planning requires the cooperation of cross-disciplinary expertise: (i) land and urban planning, (ii) economics, (iii) sociology, (iv) geography, (v) administrative law, (vi) management, and (vii) meteorology. We cannot continue to talk about social infrastructure if sociologists and geographers are not involved. It is impossible to talk about the fight against climate change without collaborating with meteorologists. The time of urban planners and architectures as actors-protagonists is over. The challenge is to understand to what extent they are able to ensure functional, adaptive and high-performance urban environments: it’s time for synergy.

It is not a question of abandoning or radically rethinking the space-city, but of understanding what value they exert in the morphological, urban and socio-economic system both in the immaterial dimension and in the local and territorial one. The anthropic systems were stressed by urban concentrations, the wild consumption of land, economic crises and health emergencies, subordinating urban space to a residual element of the city. The space and multifunctional buildings can be the trigger of the newfound urbanity, especially if they are interconnected. These premises require urban environments to become once again “pivotal elements” of the “city-system” thanks to the presence of mixitè (social, environmental and cultural functions). The new configuration of medium-sized metropolitan conurbations requires the definition of a new concept of “multipolar centrality”, investigating the new “rhythms of use” of the diffuse reticular city. It is evident that the intermediate urban system can be a strategic asset, if properly planned, for the revitalization and development of the territory. We need to start talking about systems of networked areas with the implementation of multi-level governance processes. These actions would characterise the urban planning project in order to strengthen the identity of local communities. Therefore, “centrality” can no longer be trivially identified as “polarity”. Today, centrality takes the form of something new and flexible, integrated with the policies to increase urban quality. The centralities can represent the ability to ensure an adequate level of liveability through the reconfiguration of public space and the spread of the city-effect triggered by the policies and development strategies adopted. The centrality can represent the ability to be a “place” of interchange and relationship. This work aimed to reinterpret the contemporary city with new terms and design guidelines to abandon the planning of “undifferentiated urban space”. The objective is the pursuit of an urbanity characterised by a multipolar network of centralities, understood as a complementary and synergistic structure of territorial and local development.