Per una storia ambientale dei quartieri 167. Il caso di Librino (Catania 1968-2023)

The essay explores aspects of a possible environmental history of Italian 167 housing estates law, considering cities as primary agents of ecological transformation. The analysis focuses on the impact of these large public settlements on soil consumption and degradation, the ecological network, biodiversity, and the current capacity to provide so-called ecosystem services. The case study is Librino, Catania, a PEEP (Popular Housing Plan) neighbourhood designed by Kenzo Tange, conceived in the early 1970s to rebalance urban growth with ample green spaces, consistent with Luigi Piccinato’s 1968 Master Plan for the Sicilian city. Despite initial challenges and slow implementation, Librino now shows a remarkable process of re-naturalization, supported by the spaciousness of its areas and the quality of its soil, resulting from the interplay between design interventions and natural transformations. The work compares Librino with the northern periphery of Catania, which developed according to market. This “villettopoli” (area of small villas), which has historically produced significantly greater land consumption (42.12 sq. km versus 4.2 sq. km for Librino for a similar population), is now a major cause of habitat fragmentation, with large-scale effects on the broader Etna volcano-Ionean Sea ecological system. The comparison between different logics of urban production (planned vs. market-driven) reveals distinct ecological impacts, highlighting the importance of analysing real transformations and context to evaluate the historical and potential sustainability of settlements.