This article has been subjected to double blind peer review

This article has been published in: Ocula 14, Visible Cities. In Memory of Giovanna Franci

author: Sara Saleri (Università di Bologna (IT))

The many faces of a “slum area”. The case of Brescia's Carmine district

language: italian

abstract: The article is an attempt to investigate Carmine district of Brescia, the most "multicultural" area of the city, trying to identify the dynamics that have formed, divided and reshaped its identity. In particular, the article retraces diachronically the history of the neighborhood, through the analysis of a series of texts, from nineteenth century chronicles to the most recent media stories. This development shows that a certain "image" of the slum has been constructed over time and, in the meanwhile, various representations and perceptions of what is "Urban Decay" have alternated and undermined each other. The article then examines the institutional and powerful urban redevelopment plan, which demanded to regain possession of the definition of the place and to rewrite it on his own surface. In particular, it investigates the relationship of this urban plan with the different memories that are stratified in the area and with the most disruptive innovation experienced in recent years: immigration population growth inside the district.

citation information: Sara Saleri, I tanti volti di un quartiere “degradato”. Il caso del quartiere Carmine di Brescia, "Ocula", vol.14, n.14, December 2013. DOI: 10.12977/ocula25

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