By no place to public space: a new resource for Capua

Capua is one of older cities in Caserta province and today its socio-economic, spatial, social, economic and settlement disequilibrium is clear. The analysis done discloses functional, social and physical degradation of the city and the missing of identity, mixed with phenomena of urban disorder and social and environmental degradation. Very often, infrastructures and social services miss as well. This deficit of public space takes to the creation of denied territory, localized in urban and rural areas. The area of ex assistance camp for foreign refugees – Ex C.A.P.S., our case study, is between the historical centre and housing buildings realized over the 80s-90s. Thanks to Law Scelba (1952), ruling assistance to refugee, this area is destined to a "Campo di Accoglienza", used to host refugee coming from East Europe. Nowadays, the area is not destined for anything and is a state of abandonment and misses its identity. It is neither an empty nor a dismissed area. It might be considered a non-place, without any value, any functional link with the context and with no social aim. It is a marginal place since Institutions have ignored it for years. The aim is to revitalize this area starting from its criticalities, such as accessibility, green and parking areas, services, infrastructures and the missing of social integration through the creation of a big urban park full of utilities and housing buildings. As for accessibility, pedestrian, cycling and driveway paths have been thought to improve it. The last, and maybe the most important, criticality deals with the missing of social integration since the area is not functionally connected with the context. A mixed housing park has been created in order to overcome this criticality. No distinction between public and private buildings has been done in order to achieve a social, functional and housing mix against mono-functionality of peripheral areas.