Un destino di marginalizzazione. Il ruolo delle politiche urbane nell’abbandono del centro storico di Leonforte

The town of Leonforte was founded in the XVII century, when the Branciforti family obtained a licentia pupulandi for Tavi’s feudal territory. An ambitious urban plan based on a regular layout was developed along the tableland surrounding the north-western side of the Mount Cernigliere. Due to the narrowness of the plateau, the town progressively grew along in the opposite direction to its original centre, condemning the old district to an inexorable destine of peripheral condition. Following modern living standards and in response to the citizens’ new requirements, starting from the Seventies, the historical centre experienced an ever-increasing process of abandonment. In the past, the building density and the street pattern favoured the development of retailing, housing and street activities. Currently, the older area lacks even the basic public services and it is almost depopulated. The decline of the historic core of the town has already resulted in a progressive disuse and disrepair of buildings and public space, thus threatening the whole urban heritage. Nowadays Leonforte displays the antithetical phenomena of the abandonment of a significant part of the historical centre and the increasing urban sprawl in the suburban periphery. It is an interesting case-study in order to understand the role of urban policies and the responsibility of local authorities for tackling the effects of population decline and urban decay of a town’s historic core.