Criticism and the question of historic centers

Presentation
As a response against the destruction of ancient neighborhoods, or rather as a catalyst for the design of the contemporary city, the question of historic centers establishes itself as a core issue for architectural and urban criticism in the second half of the 20th century, especially at the time of large scale urban renewal operations.

Unprecedented intersections between the architects’ theoretical writings and public criticism, theory and design, disciplinary culture, high culture and mass culture stem from this common object of reflection.

The third seminar of the series “Mapping Architectural Criticism Meetings” raises the question of the debate on historic centers, notably in France and in Italy, between the 1950s and the 1980s. These debates will be considered as a shared platform between different discourses of experts – architects, urbanists, technicians and art historians – of citizens, users and the press.

On the occasion of this study day, the researches invited by the network Mapping Architectural Criticism will place these important moments of the debate on the city within their historic and cultural contexts. Furthermore, select case studies will highlight the complexity of the questions at stake and focus on the role of actors, medias and publics within these debates.

9.30 am – Welcome coffee

9.45 am – Welcome address and presentation of the network Mapping Architectural Criticism
Paolo Scrivano (Politecnico di Milano), co-director of the network Mapping Architectural Criticism

10.20 am – Public lectures
10.20 am – Filippo De Pieri (Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento di Architettura e Design)
Histoire, critique, public : notes autour du débat italien sur les transformations urbaines des “centres historiques” (années 1950-70)
11.10 am – Juliette Pommier (École nationale supérieure d’architecture et de paysage de Lille – Laboratoire Architecture, Conception, Territoire, Histoire, Matérialité)
De la critique à la pratique : Bernard Huet et les centres historiques
12.00 am – Questions

12.15 am – Lunch break

2.00 pm – Public lectures
2.00 pm – Nicole De Togni (Politecnico di Milano – Dipartimento di Architettura e Studi Urbani)
Conflicting narratives: planning, housing and the city. Specialized journals in the reading of the historic center of Milan
2.50 pm – Alessandro Benetti (Université Rennes 2, Politecnico di Milano)
Défendre, préserver, habiter : les centres historiques dans les pages de Abitare
3.40 pm – Questions

4.00 pm – Coffee break

4.15 pm – Round table
Moderation: Rute Figueiredo (Université Rennes 2), Paolo Scrivano

Organization
Alessandro Benetti, Hélène Jannière, Paolo Scrivano

This event is the third of a series of seminars conceived by Rute Figueiredo and Hélène Jannière for the scientific network Mapping Architectural Criticism, and organized with the support of EA1279 Histoire et critique des arts, Université Bretagne Loire, Université Rennes 2 and Archives de la critique d’art.

Full program (English version)
Full program (French version)