Riflessioni sull’”insostenibile peso dell’offerta residua”. Uno sguardo dal Mezzogiorno

The starting point of this reflection on the excessive supply of developable areas in Italian Land Use Master Plans is a seminal article, published in 1995 by Luigi Mazza, on the experience of Reggio Emilia Master Plan. The issue is here analysed taking into account the recent changes in the social and demographic structure of the Country, with a focus on Southern Regions, the so called “Mezzogiorno”. These changes are connected with the substantial inefficiency in the use of residential buildings a phenomenon that is likely to worsen in the next decade. An estimate based on data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat) is proposed, with reference to a sample of five regions. In addition, the issue is analysed with reference to the Master Plans of four main Italian cities and other planning experiences. From these examples it emerges the need of a paradigm shift.