International audience ; Il dibattito è vivo tra gli interpreti del pensiero politico foscoliano. Precursore del fascismo e dello stato-potenza per gli uni, democratico e rivoluzionario per gli altri, Foscolo sembra difendere tesi contraddittorie intorno alla Rivoluzione francese e alle sue ideologie principali. Un esame attento dei testi mostra tuttavia come Foscolo sia passato da giovanili posizioni democratiche e rousseauiane, a un atteggiamento di sdegno morale contro le ingiustizie che reggono il mondo, a una forma di «realismo» o pragmatismo politico in cui le influenze di Machiavelli, di Vico e di Montesquieu confluiscono in una concezione originale della storia, della prassi politica e del ruolo sociale dello scrittore. ; Le débat est vif parmi les interprètes de la pensée politique de Foscolo. Précurseur du fascisme et de l'État-puissance pour les uns, démocrate et révolutionnaire pour les autres, Foscolo semble défendre des thèses contradictoires sur la Révolution française et ses idéologies principales. Un examen attentif des textes montre néanmoins que Foscolo est passé des positions démocratiques et rousseauistes de sa jeunesse à une attitude de protestation indignée contre les injustices qui gouvernent le monde, pour aboutir à une forme de « réalisme » ou de pragmatisme politique où les influences de Machiavel, de Vico et de Montesquieu conduisent à une conception originale de l'histoire, de la praxis et du rôle de l'écrivain dans la société.
Il capitale sociale e la qualità istituzionale sono due fenomeni che, da circa venti anni, hanno assunto il ruolo di protagonisti all'interno delle scienze sociali. Anche se per molto tempo sono stati analizzati separatamente, già dalla loro definizione è possibile intuire come essi rappresentino due facce della stessa medaglia. Questo lavoro ha l'obiettivo di comprendere quale è le relazione che lega il capitale sociale e la qualità istituzionale all'interno delle regioni dell'Unione Europea. Nonostante buona parte della letteratura si sia maggiormente dedicata all'analisi dei due fenomeni a livello nazionale, in questo elaborato si ritiene che la dimensione territoriale regionale sia l'unità di misura più idonea per analizzarli entrambi. La prima parte del lavoro analizza il capitale sociale sia da un punto di vista definitorio che da un punto di vista più prettamente empirico, suddividendolo in diversi elementi. Il capitale sociale è un fenomeno estremamente multidimensionale, analizzarne solo una parte condurrebbe ad un'analisi parziale ed approssimativa. All'interno del testo vengono individuate cinque dimensioni, utilizzate successivamente per la creazione di un nuovo indice di capitale sociale regionale. Nella seconda parte si affronta il tema delle istituzioni e della qualità istituzionale. Dopo aver definito le istituzioni, si provvede ad effettuare una rassegna degli indici più comunemente utilizzati per misurarne la qualità, selezionando l'European Quality of Government Index del Quality of Government Institute di Göteborg come il più appropriato, sia per la sua definizione di governance che per l'unità di analisi prescelta. Nella terza parte, infine, in seguito ad un'analisi di quella parte di letteratura che ritiene i due fenomeni indissolubilmente legati ed utilizzando l'indice di capitale sociale regionale sviluppato nel primo capitolo, si propone una risposta, sicuramente parziale e non definitiva, alla domanda che da vent'anni anima questo interessante filone di ricerca: che relazione sussiste tra qualità istituzionale e capitale sociale? ; In the last 20 years, the concepts of governance and social capital assumed a pivotal role within social science. Even if previous scholars tended to deal with them separately, it is straightforward to notice that the two phenomena are actually highly connected. The aim of this work is to explore the existing relation between social capital and quality of institutions in several European Union's regions. Albeit the majority of the scholars are focused on the national level, this thesis considers the regional dimension, deemed to be the most suitable territorial unit to look at the two phenomena jointly. The first section is devoted to the analysis of the social capital, with the purposes of providing a theoretical definition and illustrating its empirical implications. Social capital is a multidimensional phenomenon, and to deal with just one of these two aspects would have led to a shallow and partial analysis. Moreover, within this section, we are going to individuate five dimensions, used to create a new index of regional social capital. The second part of this contribution is aimed at scrutinizing institutions and their quality. Soon after a preliminary definition, this section is going to provide a review concerning the most common indexes measuring the quality of institutions. Taking into consideration the definition of governance as well as the selected unit of analysis, the European Quality of Government Index, is deemed to be the most suitable for our analysis. Lastly, a final section is going to deal with the body of literature conceiving the two phenomena as highly connected. Employing the new regional social capital index, this conclusive section is going to propose a preliminary answer to the question that, in the last 20 years, has stimulated this interesting debate: what is the type of relation existing between governance and social capital?
This paper aims to rethink the features of 'mediatized' political communication within a 'hybrid media system' in which the social networks accounts of political leaders are becoming increasingly important. Firstly, the paper summarizes the main aspects of 'mediatisation', as it has been analysed in relation to the mass media system. Then, we discuss the concepts of 'disintermediation' and the new forms of 'mediation' specific to social platforms. The analysis shows that 'disintermediation' does not lead to the end of 'mediatization'. On the contrary, we emphasise the need to support the 'mass media logic' based on the interweaving of 'professional norms', 'entertainment', and a 'social logic' built on the 'definition of identity' by selectively sharing online content and exploiting the creative potential of digital media. Politicians now prioritise social media over traditional media to play the role of 'social opinion leaders'. From these hypotheses, we analyse the posts published between January 2019 and March 2019 on the 'matteosalviniofficial' Instagram account. The analysis shows a tendency towards a 'remediation' of traditional contents and a creative use of digital images (which are adapted and modified) to convey a sense of immediacy. Additionally, the use of codes typical of mass media 'mediatization' emerged, but in a context in which they change their strategic role and take on a new communicative function. All these aspects have strengthened the idea that social media, in a relationship of complementarity and interdependence with mass media, steer political communication towards the selection and repetition of a coherent set of identity traits.
The present article aims to analyze the ethical perspective of the Capability Approach in its main elements, highlighting however those aspects that are closer to the field of social education that make the approach to skills not only an ethical theory but also a perspective with pedagogical elements hidden. We will start with an introduction to the position of the approach to capabilities, ie an approach that is declined in terms of social and economic justice with a harsh criticism of the neoliberal view of the free market and the failure to achieve a welfare society for all as well as the Twentieth century had promised. The Capability Approach, in fact, starts from an important critique of the economic-financial dimension, arriving at the heart of the problem: the now global fact of economic hegemony over all other institutional and social dimensionssuch as politics, culture, school up to the very nature of human being reduced to being a purely calculating and economic nature. The theory of capacities, on the other hand, while not affirming the elimination of the economic sphere, asserts that institutions should not be dominated by economic logics but must consider the human being in its anthropological richness and fullness. In fact, individuals do not act only for utilitarian ends and happiness itself can not be reduced to the possession of material goods. The human being is much more than a homo oeconomicus and therefore institutions must return to looking at happiness and human well-being as omnilateral and multidimensional respecting the inviolable dignity of each to reach their idea of happiness or good sight. As we can well understand in the Capability there are many elements that are linked to the educational discourse because if justice means to put everyone in the real possibility of doing and being what he wants, expressing his substantial freedom then education, which as Freire says, it is never neutral, it has the social responsibility to guarantee spaces in which to cultivate capacity and ...
The advent and spread of Internet and the Web have radically transformed the modes of communication. This book considers a particular ambit of online communication, namely that of science. In the first place, the author reconstructs the circumstances that gave rise to the modern system of scientific communication, and the qualitative and quantitative tools for scientific evaluation. After this, the analysis concentrates on the history, philosophy and architecture of the Web from its inception through to the most recent developments of both a technical (Semantic Web) and a socio-cultural kind (Web 2.0). Finally an open and democratic model for scientific communication is projected and proposed, made possible through the use of transparent, accessible and distributed tools.
The aim of this article is to review the literature on the effects of social environment on the development of physical aggression. We have chosen to consider the social environment in terms of a relatively recent unifying concept, the social capital. In recent years, this concept has increasingly come to the fore. Initially formulated by Bourdieu, Coleman and Putnam to explain such phenomena as social stratification and economic and political development, it has since been utilized to interpret various aspects of life in society. From the developmental standpoint, several empirical studies have demonstrated that both familial and extra-familial social capital have an effect, even in the long term, on the adaptation of children, on academic results and socio-economic success, and on health and well-being. In general, the social capital perspective has proved useful in helping to understand aggressive behavior and violence, though much more research is needed. Not all forms of social capital act in the same way, and several studies have found that social capital seems to exert a preventive effect on aggressive behavior only in certain circumstances and only with regard to some types of persons. The various types of social capital have a differential impact according to the age of the individual. Family social capital and the relationship resources offered by the child welfare system chiefly act during early childhood and childhood, when learning to regulate physical aggression appears to be at its peak. The influence of peers has been shown mainly during late childhood and adolescence: however, it is very likely that it is present very early at home through siblings, and in day care. Violent subcultures and organized crime are more likely to exert a direct effect on adolescents and adults. Broadly speaking, it seems that social capital at the micro level plays a stronger role during childhood,while the macro level acts especially during adolescence and adult life. ; Il concetto di capitale sociale, elaborato inizialmente da Bourdieu, Coleman e Putnam per comprendere fenomeni quali la stratificazione sociale, lo sviluppo economico e l'efficienza dei governi, sta godendo di un crescente successo in sociologia. Questo concetto è stato anche utilizzato per comprendere i rapporti tra caratteristiche dell'ambiente e aggressività fisica, ed in questo articolo riportiamo una rassegna delle principali ricerche in questo campo. Non tutte le forme di capitale sociale agiscono allo stesso modo, ed in molte ricerche il capitale sociale sembra avere un impatto preventivo sul comportamento aggressivo soltanto in certe circostanze e soltanto con alcuni tipi di persone. I diversi tipi di capitale sociale hanno un impatto differenziato a seconda delle diverse età della vita: il capitale sociale famigliare e le risorse di relazioni presenti nel sistema di welfare agiscono soprattutto nell'infanzia, anche in età molto precoci, i coetanei agiscono soprattutto nell'adolescenza, mentre le sottoculture violente ed il crimine organizzato hanno un impatto sui giovani e sugli adulti. Alla luce di molte ricerche,possiamo ritenere che il processo di progressiva diminuzione dei comportamenti aggressivi, dalla prima infanzia all'età adulta possa essere facilitato dalla maggior parte delle relazioni sociali che abbiamo definito come capitale sociale,anche se ci si è resi conto di come alcune forme di capitale sociale (gang, crimine organizzato) possono rappresentare una risorsa per sopravvivere in ambienti difficili, ma finiscono per incrementare la violenza.
Il campo d'interesse della ricerca è stato l'attuale processo di ricentralizzazione del Social Housing nelle periferie urbane in una parte del contesto internazionale, che sembra stia portando le città a ricrearsi e ripensarsi grazie alla presa di coscienza delle differenze esistenti, rispetto al passato, nei nuovi processi di trasformazione nei quali la città è intesa sia come spazio costruito ma anche sociale. In virtù di quest'ultimi due aspetti complementari della città, oggi, il ruolo della periferia contemporanea sembra essere diversamente interpretato, così come gli interventi di riqualificazione di tipo assistenziale - migliorativo tenderebbero a trasformarne i suoi caratteri alla ricerca del "modello di città". L'interesse alla tematica è inoltre scaturito dalla constatazione che alla base della crisi dei modelli d'intervento pubblico starebbero sia l'insostenibilità economica ma soprattutto l'errata lettura dei bisogni delle famiglie nella loro specificità e diversità e che in tal senso l'eventuale partecipazione della cittadinanza costituirebbe effettivamente una proposta valida, anche per risolvere la crescente domanda abitativa che si pone a livello mondiale. L'obiettivo della ricerca è stato quello d'analizzare, nel contesto internazionale del Social Housing, le caratteristiche di partecipazione e sussidiarietà che connotano particolarmente gli interventi di riqualificazione destinati a famiglie economicamente carenti, nello specifico analizzando i metodi e gli strumenti atti alla comunicazione partecipativa del progetto in aree urbane periferiche italiane e brasiliane. Nella prima e seconda fase della ricerca è stato svolto, rispettivamente, un lavoro di analisi bibliografica sul tema dell'emergenza casa e sulle nuove politiche abitative di sviluppo urbano ed uno specifico sulla tematica della riqualificazione partecipata del Social Housing in aree della periferia urbana, infine nella terza fase sono stati analizzati i casi di studio prescelti dando rilievo all'analisi delle caratteristiche e requisiti prestazionali delle tecniche partecipative di rappresentazione - comunicazione, più idonee ad influenzare positivamente il suddetto processo. ; The research covers the current process of re-centralization of Social Housing in the suburbs in a part of the international context, which seems to be leading the cities to rethink and reshape themselves thanks to the awareness of the existing differences, as compared to the past, in the new processes of transformation in which the city is considered both as made up buildings and as a social space. As a conseguence of these two complementary aspects of the city, today, the role of contemporary suburbs seems to be interpreted differently, likewise the welfare rehabilitation tend to transform their characters in search of the "model city". Moreover the interest in this topic is the result of the realization that at the basis of the crisis of public models of intervention lies economic unsustainability and above all the misunderstanding of the needs of families in their specificity and diversity. In this sense the participation of citizens would actually be a valid proposal, even to solve the growing housing demand that is arising in the world. The aim of the research is to analyze, on the international level of Social Housing, the characteristics of participation and subsidiarity that characterize the redevelopment works aimed at less well-off families, in particular by analyzing the methods and means suitable to participatory communication in the project in Italian and Brazilian suburb areas. The first and second steps of the research were, respectively, a work of literature review on home emergency and new housing policies of urban development and a specific on the issue of participatory rehabilitation of Social Housing in suburb areas. Then the third step analyzes case studies selected by highlighting the analysis of the characteristics and performance requirements of participatory techniques of representation - communication, best suited to positively influence this process.
The aim of this thesis paper is to integrate three important thematic aspects i.e., improve qualities in the urban ecological situation, provide ideas for handling stormwater flooding and ideas to improve socio-economic aspects for inhabitants. The integration of ideas is illustrated in a masterplan program-sketch in three phases. Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. Dhaka is a densely populated fast developing city. The chronological changes of the natural setting due to rapid growth of urbanization in Dhaka city creates an imbalance with nature and disrupts urban ecology. The green and blue structures are replaced with built areas and hard surfaces. The situation for urban ecology in the city of Dhaka affects storm water flooding and social wellbeing. The methods used for background knowledge to this proposal are literature reviews, document searches, interviews, GIS analysis and a study of role models from different countries and contexts where a variety of solutions, proposals and functions inspired me in my own sketching. The methods and the background for this thesis were used to formulate guidelines to support the overall program-sketch for the three phases in a masterplan. The first phase program-sketch includes redesigning the informal settlements in Karail into better living conditions for the dwellers according to Patrick Geddes theories by keeping the overall road- and block structure and provide new shelter, job opportunities and adding recreational values to the area. The second phase concentrated on re-establishing of water streams in a green park according to the philosophy of Fredrick Law Olmsted, and in the third phase the former airport Tejgaon to become a large green area for social meetings, recreation activities for the Dhaka city inhabitants and provide job opportunities for the informal dwellers. The discussion on strengths, limitations, challenges, and further development ends with a conclusion that it is of great importance to work integrated with the three thematic aspects urban ecology, storm water flooding and social wellbeing on an overall level and with understanding of the issues among both specialists, politicians, and inhabitants to be able to implement necessary change towards sustainability.
From the beginning, Dahrendorf was committed to giving an anthropological foundation to his political philosophy through the definition of three fundamental aspects. Firstly, human societies are considered historically determined entities; secondly, the primacy of the principle of coercion; and finally, the problem of inequality. Dahrendorf's "new liberalism" must be interpreted essentially as a philosophy of transformation: it cannot be satisfied with the existing conditions, and therefore with the negative concept of freedom. Dahrendorf indeed became one of the interpreters of a radical criticism of conservative liberalism. The concept of active freedom is the solution to the most obvious deficit that this type of liberalism has shown. Furthermore, he is against systematic inequality and is therefore hostile to neoliberal policies. With their slogan "less State", such policies have impersonated a restrictive trend against the extension of social rights. Meanwhile, the implementation of neoliberal policies causes renewed social divisions, as well as the start of a radicalisation process of those divisions.
The experience of Porto Alegre has and continues to represent for the entire world a benchmark standard in terms of the participation of citizens in territorial government. Dwelling principally on the technical-instrumental aspects of its extraordinary parable, this book attempts to reconstruct, over and above any evaluation, a biography of the territory and the communities in play, telling the story of how a site on the planet can become a planetary site of participatory democracy.
The theme of urban welfare, complex and characterized by a multiple reading of the concept, can be declined in various forms and aspects, however revolving around a specific instance: the request for a democratic diffusion of services, open and accessible to all, counting social mixing and the sharing of public resources. Two international examples, Medellín and Paris, testify today this willingness to spread services, increasingly open to fragile social classes or who have difficulty in accessing resources. Medellín reinterprets urban welfare considering the access to culture, through an integral territorial planning tool aimed at both urban regeneration and social regeneration, accomplishing it through policies of approach to culture and spread of services where parts of informal, spontaneously growing city, do not have it. Paris reads urban welfare according to social mixing and functional aspect in social housing: the new éco-quartiers regenerate large abandoned areas of Paris and turn them into new areas of social and economic attractiveness. The Parisian experience underlines the importance that government urban policies have in supporting social housing and sustainability issues for the construction of a regenerated city. It is through the provision of funds for the construction of functionally diversified social housing that it has been possible to equip an entire community with a new urban welfare, in an evolving perspective of sharing. In order to achieve urban welfare, therefore, there is the need of a capacity of an informal intervention for the realization of a widespread public services and a decisive and politically oriented public financial involvement for an action on the urban space able to transforming it into a common good.
Dottorato di ricerca in Ecosistemi e sistemi produttivi ; Il lavoro si è prefisso lo scopo di approfondire le conoscenze riguardo la sicurezza sul lavoro degli arboricoltori operanti su fune, comunemente detti treeclimbers. Inizialmente si è indagato sullo stato delle conoscenze riguardo la tecnica, la normativa e gli infortuni relativi a questo settore. Essendo risultati pochi dati a livello nazionale si è provveduto ad indagare direttamente con dei questionari distribuiti via social network attraverso gruppi di lavoratori su fune e di manutentori del verde. Dopo una analisi dei dati, si è provveduto a valutare il rischio ergonomico dei treeclimbers e le altre criticità emerse dai questionari, come il frequente uso di discensori non normati e macchine pericolose come motoseghe e cippatrici. ; The purpose of the work was to deepen the knowledge about the safety at work of arborists working on ropes, commonly called treeclimbers. Initially the state of knowledge about the technique, the legislation and accidents related to this sector was investigated. Since few data were found at the national level, we proceeded to investigate directly with questionnaires distributed via social networks through groups of workers on ropes and green maintenance workers. After an analysis of the data, the ergonomic risk of the treeclimbers and other critical issues emerged from the questionnaires, such as the frequent use of non-standard descenders and dangerous machines such as chainsaws and chippers, were evaluated.
TIl saggio analizza la gestione del patrimonio fondiario e del network relazionale del monastero di S. Prospero di Reggio Emilia, nel corso del Trecento. Attraverso l'analisi di una fonte inedita si è visto come diversi fattori (economici, politicosociali, demografici) influirono sul cenobio reggiano, mettendo in luce aspetti di continuità e di discontinuità. Continuità che si può riscontrare nel network di relazioni imperniato sul monastero, composto principalmente da comitatini e da esponenti dei ceti cittadini. Tra essi spiccano anche membri di estrazione aristocratica, i quali, al fine di radicarsi nel monastero, prendeva in conduzione terre monastiche in affitto oppure in feudo. Discontinuità che invece emerge in maniera evidente a livello della contrattualistica agraria. Sotto la spinta di esigenze economiche (aumentare la resa dei coltivi, razionalizzare e compattare i fondi) e politiche (ricostituire un solido network dopo le epidemie di peste e il governo di Feltrino Gonzaga) i contratti agrari ridussero la loro durata, da lunghi a mediobrevi, e in alcuni casi aggiunsero clausole volte a caricare il rapporto di dipendenza tra il massaro e l'abate. DOI 10.17464/9788867743322 ; The aim of this paper is to illustrate the management of the properties and the relational network of the monastery of S. Prospero in Reggio Emilia during the 14th century. The analysis of an unpublished source allow us to see how different causes of the Crisis of the 14th century (economic, social, demographic and political) affected the monastery, showing aspects of continuity and discontinuity. On one hand continuity can be spotted in the relational network gravitating around the abbey, consisting of both rural and urban population. The members of the urban oligarchy in order to establish deep roots in the monastery of S. Prospero used to receive monastic lands in feud or in leasing. On the other hand, discontinuity can be obviously spotted in the agrarian contracts. Under the pressure of economical (increasing the land's yield and compacting the farms) and political needs (restoring the relational network after the Black Plague and the Feltrino Gonzaga's government) the agrarian contracts reduced their duration, from long time ones to short ones, and sometimes they added new clauses, whose aim was to increase the dependency between the abbot and the peasants. DOI 10.17464/9788867743322
In all parts of the world the sea is a source of life, of energy, of food, of commerce, of fun. Its water, wind, and waves are all in demand – as a playground for pleasure-seekers and nature-lovers, as a highway for international commerce, as a home for unique communities of wildlife and people. All this is also true for the Bothnian Sea, a part of the northern European Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden. The Bothnian Sea is used by two neighbouring highly developed societies. There are many demands on its resources, and its open spaces are highly coveted areas for developments such as wind power farms. This relatively sparsely habitated corner of the world is also, at least at times, a place of wild seas and ancient heritage. Like planning on land, maritime spatial planning is a process that has to incorporate ideals of the public good and the various politically-anchored ways to define this, taking in to account private development interests as well as the physical realities of limited natural resources and fragile ecosystems. This book provides an introduction to the Bothnian Sea and the ideas around maritime spatial planning for its offshore areas. We have tried to present a balance between the perspectives of competing interests. As this has been a pilot initiative, we have not aimed to give you ready answers, but instead try to provoke further debate. The Bothnian Sea and its future are in your hands. The editor
The Philippines is one of the most rapidly urbanizing countries in Asia. This trend reflects the effects of years of high rates of natural population growth and consistent rural-to-urban migration. Urbanization in the Philippines has been led by Metro Manila, also known as the National Capital Region (NCR), since the 1950s. Metro Manila and the other five metropolitan areas of the country produce 80% of the Philippines' Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and no development strategies for the rural areas are to be implemented in the foreseeable future. The spread of informal settlements in the Philippines has become a phenomenon associated with big cities and unplanned expanding urban centres. From the early 1970s to more recent years, estimates of the number of informal settlers in the country have varied, ranging from 470,000 to 2.5 million families. Current estimates2, place the number of informal settlement families (ISFs) at about 1.5 million, 15% of the Philippines' total urban population. Many ISFs live in chronic urban poverty and are confronted by physical, economic, social, legal and environmental risks on a day-to-day basis. They have limited or no access to security of tenure, capital, social networks, environmental safety and legal security. Clearly, as in other developing countries, the pervasiveness of informal settlements in the Philippines can be traced back to low income, inadequate urban planning, lack of serviced land, lack of affordable social housing, and many other factors.3 In Metro Manila and other growing urban centres, informal settlers live in sprawling slums that do not meet the most basic hygienic needs (or, worse, are used as dumping grounds for hazardous wastes) where they are constantly exposed to serious health risks. This issue has been too often addressed in ineffective ways: demolitions, relocations to extra urban areas, overcrowded tenement buildings. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that the informality that shapes this settlements and the social housing provided by the government so far can't be repressed, and should be incorporated in what is commonly considered "proper" architecture. These two aspects can successfully work together to generate an environment that responds to the needs of the people. Formality can lay the basis for informality to happen and evolve in a solid, safe and hygienic environment. This is the principle that defines the whole strategy here proposed for the chosen case study, the Smokey Mountain and Paradise Heights area in Tondo, Manila. The project is focused on the creation of public spaces at the street level using abandoned areas and existent and new buildings, in order to continuously connect parts of the city that share the same margins, but are not linked to one another. The proposal presents a series of covered public spaces realized using parts of some existing buildings and the alleviation of the overcrowding issue that affects this neighbourhood; a new and incremental social hosing building prototype, that would provide families highly flexible spaces; a diffused system of public toilets and wash-houses in the slum area, to provide ISFs with the sanitary and hygienic facilities they don't have access to; a family planning centre, with day-clinics for medical visits and classrooms for educational meetings and initiatives; and a junk shop, that could be the first step for a cooperative recycling business in the area. Another aspect that is pointed out is that in contexts characterized by scarcity of resources in terms of funds and materials, vernacular traditional buildings are the greatest resources for architects and engineers, as people managed to protect themselves from the weather elements with simple and effective precautions and no need of high-tech solutions. Of course, these precautions and architectural forms are to be actualized and adapted to the needs of a family living in a city of the 21st century, and this is were architects, engineers and planners should contribute with their expertise. Numerous NGOs have been and are working in the Smokey Mountain area, mainly carrying on important and indispensable feeding and schooling programs; I hope that this project, although probably utopian, will be able to raise awareness towards the living conditions of so many people also from an urban and architectural point of view.
