Living in the Compact City: the Case of San Salvario in Turin

This study responds to a dual need. The first one can be expressed as a contingent necessity and it is linked to a specific case study, the redevelopment and transformation of the San Salvario district in Turin. This area consists in an orthogonal grid of late nineteenth and early twentieth century blocks, with a discontinuous structure due to the presence of plots which have never been developed or were destroyed during the World War II, and which continue to be unresolved, as a consequence of neglect or planning indecision. The second need can be expressed as a permanent idea and is the concept of the continuity of the historical city, offering a chance to reflect on the meaning of block and neighborhood in urban contemporary design. The overall objectives of this study are to confirm the role of the compact city as a fundamental settlement principle of great cultural and social value, and to demonstrate its feasibility, also in terms of environmental sustainability through housing projects that fit into the urban context thereby completing and transforming the existing structures.