Opening the barrier of military immured spaces in Italy: is their regeneration going beyond the threshold of boundaries?

Abstract

The essay critically addresses the issue of military settlements as immured spaces by the analysis of their relation with the built environment in three diverse moments (in use, in disuse, and regenerated). The objective is to demonstrate that although military premises are perceived as 'forbidden spaces', the abandonment provides the opportunity to open their physical barriers, create different dynamics, perceptions, attitudes, and reshape the urban fabric. I propose a transdisciplinary approach dealing with the role played by the military in the city-making process from the mid-19th century-quartering in the city to the late 20th-century abandonment and current regeneration. Based on a desk research activity and specific fieldworks on the Italian case, the paper comprises three sections corresponding to the phases of use, abandonment and regeneration of military assets. These phases can be intended as different steps with diverse conceptions of military sites as immured spaces.