report III meeting - Montpellier

The Third transnational Meeting of the project Restauro in the framework of the Initiative Interreg IIc, was held in Montpellier. The previous two meetings took place in Florence the 22-23 February 1999 and Genova the 01-02 July 1999.

During this meeting the first phase on analytical work was terminated and the second phase for Pilot Applications was introduced.

The meeting was a strategically very important Mid term passage of the project, evaluating the work and the deliverables produced from partners during the first stage and debating the work schedule and specific committments, in the framework of the general programme for the next final periode.

Representatives from the Regions: Toscana (coordinator), Liguria, Sardegna, Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, Languedoc-Roussillon, and representatives from the cities-partners: Florence (coordinator for the cities network), Cosenza, Perugia, Genova, Aix En Provence Arles, Avignon, Beziers, Narbonne, Palma di Mallorca, Alicante, Valencia, Xanthi, Rethimnon, Chanea and Rhodes.

(See complete list of the thirty five persons participating, in the attached documents that will follow)

Participants: S. Cerreti, Lina Panarelli, Maurizio De Zordo, Gilles Nourissier, Pascale Martinetto, Giorgio Risicaris, Thomas Fortuny.
Absents: Rossanna Russo, Emanuele Lamacchia.
Observers: Gerard Collin, Julie Moraitou.

Mr. Bertrand Bayle, Director of the Culture of the Region Languedoc Roussillon welcomes the partners and exposes the Languedoc Roussillon experience and involvement in the project.

Mr. Sergio Cerreti representative of the Regione Toscana and coordinator of the project introduces the meeting presenting the agenda.

Mr. Gerard Collin representative of the Region Languedoc Roussillon, organizer of the Meeting, welcomes the partners and presents activities concerning social events and visits scheduled to the Restauro local project sites.

Mr. Thomas Fortuny representing the City of Palma di Mallorca, Task Leader 1 on Tourism, presents the assessment of the Task 1 work. Principal items regarding the involvement of tourisme in the historical centers of the cities-partners are pointed out together with the evaluation that documents collected among partners could be published in a comprehensive booklet for dissemination.

Mr. Leonardo Acri of the City of Cosenza presents the local Restauro initiative to print a book on the historical center, that promotes touristically the city, named "Cosenza, History, Art and Culture, A Guide to the Monuments and Historical Sites",pages 96, Cosenza 1999. The book is published with the contribution of Restauro-Interre IIC.

Mr. Giorgio Risicaris representing the City of Florence, evaluated that the exchange of experiences on touristic management and development between cities seems to be the most important added value of this task to Restauro, making available for cities, aiming to a touristic development, the experiences of citiec as Florence, Perugia, Avignon, Rhodes etc. together with development models as well as limitations and recomandations on the item.

Mr. Gilles Nourissier of the Paca, asks for an assessment of task 1 work, together with a best practices selection. He proposed a local touristic policy responsibles of Cities involvement in the Task.

Mrs. Rosanna Russo representing the City of Genova, Tasl leader 2 on planning issues, presented the assessment of the Task 2 work. The paper presented includes methodologies for analysis and study of the historical parts of the cities, plans and building rules for historical centers, nature of data processing and management of plans and rules, evaluation of the managment and operational results, concrete results and best practices.

Mr. Giorgio Risicaris, pointed out that an important goal of this Task is the interregional exchange of experiences on local Offices for historical centers, Regulations and Plans that could be inclooded in a pumphlet to be disseminated. For instance the City of Florence is evaluating Restauro knowledge on Historical Centers Offices of the cities of Palma, Alicante, Valencia, Chanea, Rhodes etc. in the perspective of the realisation in Florence of a specific Office in the field of Restauro.

Mr. Leonardo Acri informs that in Cosenza the existing local office for the historical center is charged for cultural events and not for urban policy.

Due to the absence of the representative of the City, Mr. Risicaris presents the paper on Task 3. of Matera. The paper is puting in evidence the objectives of the work done, makes an evaluation of the contributions and a positive assessment of the quality of experiences exchanged.

N.B. Complete papers of Tasks’ Final Documents will be part of the attachements to be issued.

Mr. Giorgio Risicaris on behalf of the City of Florence informe partners about dissemination activities.

On one hand contacts for new partners, introduced new partners to the network from Greece, strenghtening the partnership and widening the network and on the other contacts with cities of Maroc are going on aiming to the participation of the city of Fes.

In the pages of the site are available all documents and reports of the project.

A project for an independent Restauro site is under elaboration from the City of Florence. Partners are asked to give to the coordinator addresses of local internet sites related to Restauro in order to include relevant links.

The files concerning general data on historical centers of the cities participating are available on the internet site. Such data should be elaborated and form a comprehensive file offering comparison between characteristics and dimensions of historical centers.

Mr. Giorgio Risicaris on behalf of the Management Committee presents the paper on the general assessment of the work achieved during the first period of the project (also included in the attachments to be issued):

FIRST PHASE OVERALL REPORT

Issued from the Management Committee
and aproved by the Plenary Session of Montpellier

a. General overview of objectives

First Phase of Restauro is completed with success.
Three Tasks on analytical work foreseen from the project schedule on touristic items (task 1), planning issues (task 2) and technological aspects (task 3) of Historical Centers Safeguard and Regeneration, were achieved through a large collaborative work in network.
Cities-partners exchanged experiences, practices and informations about local aspects of developing Historical Centers, creating new knowledge by gathering together different aproaches on similar issues.
Direct contacts between Technical Offices for Historical Centers of Local Authorities introduced an interregional dialogue on town planning specific aspects enlarging methodological horizons and local technical know-how.
The Restauro network established with this project is looking forward to strenghen relationship and constitute an experimental nucleous for the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) initiative of the Commission for european historical urban spaces.

b. Experienced Work Schedule

First Phase has been experienced through several local and interregional meetings: Two preparatory meetings took place in Rome on 1998 and introduced the project based on a proposal of the Mayor of the City of Florence.
A Kick-off meeting held in Florence on 22-23rd February 1999, was a Plenary Session and a Working Session that consolidated work agenda and common methodology. In this meeting, hosted by the Regione Toscana and the Municipality of Florence, each partner introduced local experiences and exposed local needs. The coordinator proposed a methodological framework and a timeschedule for the project programme achievement.
The second meeting held in Genova on 1-2nd July 1999,.was a Plenary Session and Working Session hosted by the Laboratorio Civis of the Municipality of Genova. During this meeting partners presented contributions on analytical tasks and final drafts on task 4 local themes.
The third meeting in Montpellier on 28-30th.October.99, is a Management Committee Meeting and a Plenary Session and a Working Session meeting. With this meeting task 4 working period is introduced. The first phase report is presented by the coordinator and task 4 guidelines are decided.
A kick-off meeting of the Gruppo Tecnico di Coordinamento (GTC) took place in Rome the 24th September 1999, establishing the group of regions partecipating in the project in Italy.

c. Deliverables produced

In the begining the project was drafted in italian, french spanish and arabic and distributed among potential partners and submitted to the Interreg IIc MedOc Committee. This draft was aproved on Dicember 1rst 1998 by the Interreg IIc MedOc Committee.
During the meeting in Florence was elaborated the methodology for an interregional networking and a common working schedule. This document was agreed and submitted to all partners.
After the meeting of Florence a report with the session minutes was forwarded to all partners.
Before the Genova meeting a long report distributed to city-partners and to regions, included preliminary technical documents presented in Florence for task 4.
An internet site was activated by the City of Florence where all deliverables of Restauro in extensive formats are available for partners and for any interested organization.
During the meeting of Genova a draft for further interregional collaboration was elaborated and aproved by the partners.
After the Genova meeting a report with the session minutes was forwarded to all partners.
Before the Montpellier meeting a long report with all contributions on analytical tasks and final themes for task 4 local committments was elaborated and forwarded to all partners.
For the Montpellier meeting an Overall Report was elaborated including first phase committments and the assessment of technical contribution on anlytical tasks abd on task 4 themes.

d. Task 1, 2 and 3 work assessment.

In the minutes of the Genova meeting are included all technical documents submitted from partners for each analytical task.
Principal point of this first stage esperience is to introduce networking, aproaching urban planning issues. In europe local authorities charged for planning are working within limited local frameworks. Althow legal frameworks are different for each member state, scientific aproaches and technical planning experiences are very similar since european cities are facing same problems in historical built envoronments that present strong relationships. This is particularly evident in the mediterranean area where very similar historical urban developments produced areas called in our days Historical Centers.
On the other hand a further strenghening element of the network is the awarness reached through the networking, that strong differences existe between partners, concerning local regulations and low frameworks as well as different aptitudes, locally experienced. The concrete consciousness of the nature of differences is part of a european project and Restauro is aiming to analyse them and consider in the framework of its activities.
Restauro is a first innovative experience searching to brink together local Technical Officers for urban policy in mediterranean Historical Centers. Innovation is dealing with two principal aspects: on one hand persons charged for Historical Centers are brinking together, into a comparative way, local experiences, exchanging know-how and on the other hand a nucleous of the ESDP concerning mediterranean historical spaces is introduced.
Due to its experimental character this project is facing strong difficulties and limitations. Since principal aim is to make possible a dialogue on operational level and open local minds to a european dimension of planning, difficulties concern principally the lack of previous experiences and on the other hand low local awareness about utility of planning in network.
In order to overcome to these difficulties the project, during its first stage period, practiced specific senarios encouraging contacts and exchanges. An experience on the basis of an offer/need principle brought together cities-partners that ask for practices and cities-partners that already own such know-how. This is a first networking step with real advantages for both, either obtaining already experienced tools with a considerable scale economy or verifying tools with further applications improving efficiency.
Tasks for analytical work became a real interregional working table that permitted to collect experiences made available for all partners through a comprehensive report and the internet site. During next task 4 stage including local applications, analysis technical documents will be embodied upgrading proposals with a european added value. This is a focus point of the project and one of the principal goals to be reached.
Each partner made available for Restauro best local practices. Plans, regulations, schemes on safeguard and on development issues for historical centers were divided into the three task topics: tourisme, planning and technology, becoming an important data base to be disseminated to all mediterranean local authorities.
Evaluating partners’ contributions on analytical tasks it becomes evident that all cities are now facing problems about life quality in historical centers. Some of them are aiming to generate a touristic development with specific measures in order to improve physical and economical life; others are facing problems due to abnorme touristic development; both are problems dealing with social exclusion of week groups of residences. The city of Cosenza and the city of Alicante need experinces for a touristic development that could be provide from Florence and Perugia as well as from Arles and Rhodes. Florence needs to face strong social changes in several parts of the historical center that brink exclusion of local residences and low income new arrivals, together with lack of security, due to the constraints for interventions renovating the existing stock. The city of Matera is working on the historical neighborhood of the Sassi and need experience for a development plan that together with the existing town planning tools will guarantee a take-off of a global rehabilitation operation. The city of Avignon need axperiences for alternative low prices, diffused turistic beds offer as well as Florence is planning a bed and breakfast and youth hostel development in the historical center. Perugia made available its experiences for mobility and accessibility concerning parking areas and underground pedestrian mechanical accesses. Spanish and greek cities are brinking important experiences organizing historical center offices, needed from Florence. All specific occasions for exchange of know-how is included in the Genova meeting minutes available on the internet site.
A general assessment of the first phase of Restauro can be summarized as follows: principal problems of networking on town planning issues were focused and measures for an efficient interregional collaboration have been taken; analytical work on specific tasks foreseen have been achieved and a data base created for further task 4 work; an internet site is already accessible with all Restauro deliverables

Mr. Risicaris evaluating the weakness on netwoking activities, invited the Management Committee to elaborate specific guidelines for Task 4 and for Joint-Ventures in order to support and speed up the collaboration between partners.

The visite was focused to the historical center, including the Roman Arenes and the 5th operational programme for improving the settlement as well as the Locks of Fonseranes of the Canal du Midi outside the historical center.

The visit was assisted by Mr. M. Corbière Mayors’ delegate for Urbanisme and Mr. M. Pomero D.G.S.T.

The visite included principal monuments and rehabilitation operations in the hart of the historical center. The facades renovation programme, the comercial activities in the center, the "coeur de ville" operation, l’implication du HLM implication for rehabilitation of historical buildings, the underground archeological site of the roman "Horreum" etc.

The visit was assisted by Mr. Robert Déjean Mayor delegate for comerce and artisan, and Mr. Antoine Lapena, Mrs. Véronique Berchet, Mrs. Dion and Mrs. Myriam Sirvanton.

Mr. Sergio Cerreti introduces the Management Committee decision for a new methodological framework for Task 4:

Task 4

Guidelines elaborated from the Management Committee.

a. Relationship between Tasks 1, 2 and 3, Joint Ventures for interregional cooperation and Task 4.

After the conclusion of the first stage work including analysis items and interregional cooperation and exchange of experiences, the Management Committee introduces a new Restauro work methodology collecting experiences till now practiced separatly, into one single aproach.
That will be the Task 4 domain, foreseen for Local Pilot Applications, that will embody disponible data of analytical tasks and activities for Joint Ventures. This will permit a direct link between Tasks 1, 2 and 3 with the relevant knowledge already achieved and the Pilot actions, adding a new value to the projects. On the other hand integrating interregional cooperation activities (Joint-Ventures) according to the Pilot applications, will permit to best finalize such activity to local interests as well as to the general objectives of the project.

b. Task 4 grouping

Partners will form thematic groups according to Task 4 local items linked to analytical items.
Partners of each group will activate a cooperation with other partners with experiences on each task concerned

c. Task 4 finetuning and timeschedule

During and after the Montpellier meeting Task 4 local themes will be examined in order to establish common criteria for a comparison work and guarantee relationship with analytical tasks and Restauro general principles. A common format should be decided for Task 4 deliverables, optimizing final presentation and dissemination.
Each Task 4 theme should declare links with analytical tasks’ documents, taking under consideration the Joint Ventures established during the Genova meeting. Such links will consist either in using complete tools or evaluating exisitng experience.
A paper proving that local Task 4 theme deals clearly with Restauro objectives for Safeguard and Regeneration of historical centers. That means that local themes should include choises that confirm the common aim for a combined protection of historic values and social and economic grouth.

Mrs. Lina Panarelli presents a paper introducing proposals improving the cooperation and the Task 4 committments.

Mr. Gilles Nourissier proposes to foresee before the next plenary meeting an intermediate document of the Management Committee indicating methodology for Task 4 committments.

Mr. Giorgio Risicaris wishes to point out that the guidelines for Task 4 will not modify the work schedule that remains the one aproved from the InterregIIC Medoc Committe. Such guidelines should establish a finetuned method to achieve the projects’ committments. On the other hand the need for an internal quality control is envisaged, during the project evolution as well as at the end of the work schedule.

Mrs. July Moraitou agree with the Management Committee proposal and the suggestions of Mrs. Lina Panarelli and wishes to contribute to the coordination tasks.

After the discussion, the network decided the deadelines of the next work period as follows:

Task 4 working period begins with the Montpellier meeting. A three step timeschedule is foreseen:

Basic design work will end to the next fourth plenary meeting foreseen for February- March 2000.

Assessment and comparison work will end to the sixth and final meeting foreseen in Florence on September 2000.

The Palma di Mallorca meeting will take place on June 2000 instead of the meeting of Matera.

Further specific guidelines for the three steps will be elaborated from the Management Committee and sent to the partners.

The coordinator proposed a draft of agreement for an Intereg III Restauro Proposal, to be signed from partners.

All partners agreed on the proposal and express their willingness to participate to a further project in the field of Interreg III call, expected for the last period of the year 2000.

The Montpellier Agreement foresee that the coordinator will contact further new partners for Interreg III, principally in the Meda and Phare areas.

Representatives from Aix-En-Provence, Arles, and Bezier presented the historical centers and the local items for Task 4 applications.

Representatives from the new cities-partner Chanea, Rethymnon, Rhodes and Xanthe presented the historical centers and the local items for Task 4 applications.

Mr. Risicaris proposed that new partners should begin immediatly Task 4 work together with all partners. Analytical tasks work of new partners should be done before the Avignon Meeting, including Urban Audit files that will be send from the coordinator to new partners

The Management Committee confirmed all decisions of the Plenary Session and pointed out the Committee’s and partners’ work to be done in order to guarantee deadelines for Basic Design period.

Pagina a cura di Nicola Malisardi (Astypalea)
Data di verifica/agiiornamento: 08-06-2000