Towards Healthy Urban Design in a Rationalist Neighbourhood: A Research Methodology for the Monticelli Quarter in Ascoli Piceno, Italy

Abstract

In 2012 the WHO's Lancet Commission made a study of potential and innovative associations among the themes of health, social equality, and economic development in urban planning. While recognizing the so-called "urban advantage" for health, the study affirmed that this advantage is not absolute, but is supported by long-term policies and good planning of the urban environment, with a concentration on projects on different scales that involve both the communities and different institutional levels. Some cities have accepted this challenge, trying to build a method to design/regenerate the city, placing health at the centre and involving local populations, various interest holders, and experts. Ongoing experimentation currently concentrates on two themes: methods of evaluating the state of health of cities and quarters and the identification of design proposals consistent with the objectives of health and well-being, which, based on the assessment process, can be improved and made more efficient. This contribution proposes a proper methodology for project assessment, currently in the first phase of experimentation, in the rationalist quarter of Monticelli in Ascoli Piceno (Italy).