As a student in the early seventies, I was greatly influenced by the sixties plan to recreate the old town of Bologna for a new society: Città Vecchia, Nuova Società.

A programme of renovation was undertaken in the town centre as a whole, not just its heritage buildings, employing conservation as means of ‘reappropriation of the city’, particularly for social housing. Quality of renovation was regulated by strict code requirements linked to a grant programme. The grant scheme encouraged landlords to accommodate existing tenants or applicants from the waiting list. If landlords wanted to sell, the city had first refusal to purchase at a reduced rate.

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