Rules, transgressions and nomotropism: the complex relationship between urban planning and Italian abusivismo
(2016) Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference 2016 — Location: London
Files
RulesTransgressionsandNomotropism_ERosa.docx
Restricted Access - Microsoft Word XML
- 105.57 KB
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- Without rules, transgressions would not exist. In this article I critically interrogate this apparently obvious remark: rules and transgressions are neither contradictory phenomena nor the expressions of alternative ways of building and inhabiting the city. On the contrary, as I argue, they are mutually entwined, bound together by complex and deeply rooted relationships that call into question the interdependence between the formality of planning and the informality of building and settling practices. The context under investigation is Italian urbanism and planning. I understand abusivismo to mean unauthorized buildings and settlements. The way this term is used and understood in Italian urbanism is the issue that inspired the research leading to this article. Indeed, abuso refers very generally to any sort of non-compliance with urban regulations. And yet what kind of practices are supposed to transgress what kind of rules? Abuso remains a blurry notion, a merely formal term that fails to provide any information about individuals’ agency or the effects of transgression on the spatial and social dimensions of the (urban) landscape. Drawing on Conte’s concept of nomotropism, i.e. agency in light of the law (Conte 2000; Chiodelli Moroni 2014), I explore the complex character of urban planning transgressions and their relationship with planning rules. Specifically, I show that there is an (at least) twofold relationship between these dimensions, including the transgressions in light of the law and the rules following from the transgression. By taking nomotropism seriously, it is finally possible to formulate a responsible planning approach to transgressions.
- Affiliations
Citations
Rosa, E. c. (2016). Rules, transgressions and nomotropism: the complex relationship between urban planning and Italian abusivismo. Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference 2016, London. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/119710