Frontier of change : transformation of hospitality fostering urban regeneration, social inclusion and reflections on the case of Riace

One of the biggest challenges of 21st century Italy is an unprecedented number of immigrants resulting from globalization and geopolitical instabilities. The phenomenon is irreversible, and when it is combined with an aging population and a geographical marginality of the hospitality areas, a bottom-up reshaping of the structure may happen. The government has made several attempts to manage the current anthropological and socio-economic scenarios effectively. However, these endeavors may remain passive when it is attempted within the scope of an individual or a community. A notable exception is the beginning of the SPRAR system, which is influenced by the autonomous attempt made by the village Riace on the pillars of its identity of hospitality. Riace experimented with an innovative approach to address the challenges of the abandonment of villages due to economic marginality and depopulation by tapping effectively into the empowerment of immigrants with autonomy. The thesis attempts to plug into this dialogue by unraveling various layers of these efforts made by village Riace and how it has produced a ripple effect in the territory. By carefully analyzing the reality of the Riace Model, the aim is to establish guidelines that bring about a new way of thinking about the problem of depopulation and displacement by bringing various resources together. Resettlement spaces can become more resilient using infrastructure that is flexible and promotes community spaces of inclusion, thereby uprooting the rather overlooked inner areas of Southern Italy. The goal of this thesis is to understand how the already existing culture and character of an area can be enhanced to develop it by valorizing the cultural resources and by bringing in the diversity offered by immigrants. The study focuses on how communities and a regenerative urban environment can creatively work together to facilitate the needs of the future world. anthropological and socio-economic scenarios. However, these endeavors remain passive when it is attempted within the scope of an individual or a community. A notable exception to this is the beginning of the SPRAR system which is influenced by the autonomous attempt made by the village Riace on the pillars of its identity of hospitality. Riace experimented with an innovative approach to address the challenges of abandonment of villages due to economic marginality and depopulation by tapping effectively into the empowerment of immigrants with autonomy. The thesis attempts to plug into this dialogue by unraveling various layers of these efforts made by village Riace and how it has produced a ripple effect in the system. By carefully analyzing the reality of the Riace Model, the aim is to establish a process or guideline that brings about a new way of thinking about the problem of depopulation and displacement by bringing various resources together. As a counterproposal to what currently exists, resettlement spaces can become more efficient and resilient using infrastructure that is flexible and promotes community spaces of inclusion thereby uprooting the rather overlooked inner areas of Southern Italy. The goal of this thesis is to understand how the already existing culture and character of an area can be enhanced to develop the area by valorizing the very same cultural resources and by bringing in the diversity offered by immigrants. The study focuses on how communities and a regenerative urban environment can creatively adapt and work together to facilitate the needs of the future world.

Una delle maggiori sfide dell’Italia del 21° secolo è un numero senza precedenti di immigrati che deriva dalla globalizzazione e dalle instabilità geopolitiche. Il fenomeno è irreversibile e quando si combina con l’invecchiamento della popolazione e una marginalità geografica delle aree di accoglienza, può avvenire un rimodellamento della struttura dal basso verso l’alto. Diversi sono stati i tentativi da parte del governo di gestire efficacemente gli attuali scenari antropologici e socio-economici. Una notevole eccezione, in quanto legata ad un processo bottom-up, è l’avvio del sistema SPRAR che risente dell’autonoma iniziativa del borgo di Riace sulla base dei pilastri della sua identità di ospitalità. Riace ha sperimentato un approccio innovativo per affrontare le sfide dell’abbandono a causa della marginalità economica e dello spopolamento, attingendo efficacemente all’empowerment degli immigrati. La tesi si inserisce in questo dialogo mostrando le diverse iniziative compiute dal paese di Riace e mostrando come abbia prodotto un effetto a catena nel territorio. Attraverso un’attenta analisi della realtà del Modello di Riace, l’obiettivo è quello di stabilire linee guida che portino a un nuovo modo di pensare al problema dello spopolamento, a partire dalle risorse esistenti. Nelle aree interne del Sud Italia, gli spazi dell’ospitalità possono diventare più resilienti utilizzando infrastrutture che siano flessibili e che promuovano spazi comunitari di inclusione. L’obiettivo di questa tesi è capire come la cultura e il carattere di un’area possano essere valorizzati considerando al contempo la diversità offerta dagli immigrati. Lo studio si concentra su come le comunità e l’ambiente urbano possano lavorare insieme in modo creativo per facilitare i bisogni del mondo futuro.