Holden Sho Miles
Architecture
Explorations
Architecture
Explorations
From Ruin to Forum
A “Dying” City’s Potential for Unity Through Ruins
Nestled in the fringes of Lazio, Civita di Bagnoregio is a village steeped in deep existential questions. These have become representative of growing global concerns and the city begins to act as a kind of microcosm of contemporary environmental, social-political, and cultural challenges which have emerged in other developed nations. This architectural proposal should be understood as just one of many much-needed interventions required for the sustainability, and even perhaps the revitalization of the city. This acknowledges the limitations of an architectural proposal- geologic issues are best left to the engineers and political issues are best left to the governed. We believe that architecture can provide an equally pertinent contribution, but on its own terms.
Issue: Overtourism, Geologic Instability, Architectural Preservation, Permanent Population loss cultural Atrophy, Identity Crisis
Despite facing numerous urgent existential crises, there is much disagreement amongst the various groups of people in Civita, and Bagnoregio proper. Some of the more dramatic threats to Civita, say its fragile geological state, seem to garner a general consensus in regards to its maintenance. Other, more intangible problems (social, cultural, political, and philosophical) seem to be the most contentious and stagnant. According to local testimonies, issues of over-tourism, cultural atrophy, architectural preservation etc. draw conflicting views because of the misaligned objectives amongst the various factions throughout Civita and Bagnoregio.
Built atop the unstable stratum of marine clay and tuff rock, Civita di Bagnoregio’s deterioration was an exponential inevitability. It sustained itself over the millennium until enough of the city had eroded into the Calanchi Valley. This inflection point flipped Bagnoregio, the neighboring municipality, into the functional city leaving Civita as mostly a relic where it remains as such today.
The people of Bagnoregio seem to harbor contradicting attitudes about Civita- viewing it both as a burden while recognizing and benefitting from its financial lifeline. The residences of Civita blame the local municipality for its prioritization of business over cultural sensitivity while the political leaders defend this for the sake of financial stability. Civita is often likened to a ship, and by extending this metaphor, Civita is like a ship towing Bagnoregio but its crew members cannot decide where to sail to. All possible solutions for Civita must first traverse the bridge of social-political harmony, which at the moment, stands as firm as the previous foot-bridges of Civita.
How can an architectural intervention address this disjunction of conflicting consensuses? When we first arrived in Civita, we were invited to witness a historic town meeting between students of La Sapienza, the citizens of Civita, and the mayor. Here, much needed discourse was had regarding the grievances of the Civitonis, elucidating the daily consequences of living in the “dying city”. The final verdict seemed inconclusive. What struck me as odd however, was the location of the meeting. It was held in a de-christened church with boarded up clerestory windows in Bagnoregio.
Despite being the center of focus, Civita was continuously referenced as an “other” place throughout the meeting. “In Civita”, “over there”, “in there”; Civita was objectified as a separate place from where everyone stood. It was talked about as an “other”, apart from here, something distant upon a hill. Herein lies the fundamental issue.
For those living in Civita, the issues are a daily reality. By residing outside of these daily struggles, the municipality doesn’t seem to understand this reality. Members of the local governance like the mayor may frequent Civita, but never have to fully contend with the numerous daily struggles of residing here. Therefore, it is easier for these stewards of Civita, to ignore, disregard, or misunderstand issues that are derived from a more intimate and personal experience with Civita.
To remedy this disjunction, our architectural proposal is a provocative restructuring of the municipality’s symbolic role. In an effort to “de-objectify” Civita in the eyes of the local government, and to promote the physical unity between the municipality, the residences of Bagnoregio and Civita, and to promote casual interactions amongst the Civitonis now rare, we propose that the site of the Janni Medori ruins be converted into a forum which will house the new mayoral residence, a civic meeting space, and a public garden.