Regeneration of historic centers in mediterranean cities: The case study of the Venice district in Livorno

The following contribution wants to tell an experience of design research, aimed at the regeneration of a portion of the waterfront of the city of Livorno, which is now fragmented and in a state of decay. The area, located within the historic Venice District near the Fortezza Vecchia and the port, is strongly characterised by the presence of the fish market building, which stands out for its contemporary architecture and its original roof. The research proposes a new spatial arrangement through the re-functionalisation of the building and the design of all the access systems to the area, driveways, pedestrian and cycle paths, which can allow its proper use by citizens and tourists. The change from a wholesale market building to a city market is aimed at a wider accessibility of the building, which for years was limited to a restricted group of users. The project promotes not only a rationalisation of the routes but, above all, a slowing down of the user's journey: it obliges him to walk through it and observe it slowly, to take possession of it again [Careri, 2006]. In order to achieve this aim, a proposal is made to revise the driveways, which currently represents a critical issue in the neighbourhood, to introduce routes for green mobility and to eliminate the non-functional and degrading superfetations that have occupied the area over the years, disfiguring it. The design of the direct connection with the entrance to the port, the new car parks and the large equipped green areas, at different levels, accentuates the new vocation of the site, which from a transit place is transformed into a place of rest and meeting.