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URBAN ESSAYS
Ideas, observations and critical reflections on cities, ecology and everyday urban life.
Urban Essays is a curated collection of long-form articles and shorter visual notes developed through more than twenty years of work in urban design, master planning and landscape architecture between Europe and Southeast Asia.
Some pieces expand ideas first introduced on LinkedIn; others are original essays written specifically for this platform. Together, they explore how urban form, nature, climate, mobility and public life interact in shaping the contemporary city.
Featured Essays presents the longer and more developed articles.
Urban Notes collects shorter observations, arguments and visual provocations.
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Cittadinanza sociale e territorio
La cittadinanza è un concetto antico e polisemico. Nonostante la sua indubbia rilevanza il termine non trova spazio in alcuni dei più importanti dizionari sociali e politici italiani, e non è difficile vedere come questa mancanza sia riscontrabile anche nel dibattito dei paesi anglosassoni. Eppure l’idea di cittadinanza ha una straordinaria capacità di mobilitare saperi disciplinari differenti attorno a temi che riguardano la vita quotidiana di tutti noi. Non credo di poter i
Francesco Procacci
Feb 11, 20211 min read
Il Master Plan di Teglio
l Master Plan del Comune di Teglio e’ un documento programmatico e progettuale di indirizzo strategico rivolto all”Amministrazione Comunale e non solo. Vuole essere un modello per la pianificazione e programmazione delle opera pubbliche sul territorio comunale a fronte di una vision strategica condivisa in grado di valorizzare e promuovere Teglio dal punto di vista turistico e di qualità’ della vita dei cittadini. Si sono individuati sei ambiti strategici del territorio comun
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
Yangon new city
We have planned a new future for Yangon and Myanmar. A new green smart city in front on the old city center of Yangon and o the other side of Yangon river. Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial center. The site is divided in two areas: for a total of 3750 HA. The city center and the new C BD for a total surface of 1650 Ha, strategically located in the southern area of Yangon, in the future
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
A country retreat and residences in Da Nang
Il villaggio is a new country retreat and residences in the center of Da Nang – Vietnam, on a total land area of 60 HA. Da Nang is a coastal city in central Vietnam known for its sandy beaches and history as a French colonial port. It's a popular base for visiting the inland Bà Nà hills to the west of the city. Here the hillside Hải Vân Pass has views of Da Nang Bay and the Marble Mountains. These 5 limestone outcrops are topped with pagodas and hide caves containing Buddhist
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20192 min read
The new business and tourism gateway to Europe
Marathonas eco town is a new urban development at 40 Km from the international airport of Athens, on a total land area of 1,700 HA. The main goal is to create a new international city hub around the strategic core of the innovation park and exhibition area, as a commercial and business gateways between Asia and Europe. The master plan integrate the new residential and commercial area into the existing infrastructure and settlements, preserving and enhancing the beauty of the
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
A green Japanese town: experience the landscape
The master plan design takes advantage of the unique and interesting topography of the site. The natural hills and gently elevations give the opportunity to create a unique landscape experience, composing the project around main naturalistic distinct areas. Furthermore, the architectural design of main residential components can create exceptional panoramic views to the surrounding forests. The master plan therefore is composed by 3 elements connected and integrated: hill + e
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
A new concept of living green in Quang Nam
The master plan design concept takes shape from the natural landscape of Vietnam: rivers, fields, mountains. Coco River is the main natural element of the design, connecting the urban and resort development to Da Nang City and Hoi An trough river green transportation. The new urban and resort town is designed around the central marina and the river, offering means for landscape, nature, water sports and several activities. The new town locate also a museum of naval transporta
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
A green hi-tech village for Montreal
The city of Montreal is looking for "integrated innovation": "The old days when everyone could work in silos are gone. Today, social, economic, cultural and urban components should meet and evolve together" as the minister of Innovation of Montreal stated. As per our project, we believe that it has to be a showcase for an eco friendly living environment in the countryside, combining technologies and architecture for sustainability where the main sectors to attract are related
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
An integrated green urban resort in Vietnam
We envision a new green ecological integrated resort that is inspired by the beauty of the natural landscape of Nha Trang and the incredible site of White Sand. Green hills and mountains, gently slopes, lakes and water features, green areas, landscape paths, all together contributing in creating a unique atmosphere connecting the apartment and hotel buildings to one of the most wonderful beach in the world. It’s a new style of urban resort with an exclusive private access to
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
Towers of Cambodia: an oximore of eco-development
The concept design aims to create a new landmark and skyline for Phnom Penh that will become the symbol of all Cambodia, representing its past, present and looking for its sustainable and prosperous future. As the main character of a movie story, the concept design is based on 3 key elements, the Forest, the Mekong River, the Gemstone, that represents the beauty and the power of Cambodia and can become the successful factor for the design of the Harbor Bay project in Phnom P
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
Francesco Procacci, my Curriculum Vitae
I have been living and designing the city since 2006 in Vietnam and South East Asia, despite not having forgotten my Italian roots, both as a citizen and as a designer. Summary I graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Society of Milan in Urban Planning in 2001 with a thesis entitled "Innovation in urban policies of Milan" (Tutor Prof. Pier Carlo Palermo) who also received the "Carlo Maddalena" award . I subsequently obtained in 2006 a PhD in Urban Projects and Policie
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20195 min read
Urban space and power: part 3
Private spaces The first and inviolable territory of the self is constituted, in the modern western states, by private property , which stands like a castle with respect to the invasions and intrusions of others and of the State. However, even starting from the analysis of a domestic house, there are different areas more dedicated to exclusive control and more inaccessible to both the rest of the family and the guests (like the bedrooms) than to others where the control is pa
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20193 min read
Urban space and power: part 2
Personal spaces The main contributions that have highlighted the personal and social processes of territoriality can be traced to environmental psychology, anthropological research and urban sociology. An effective definition to describe human territoriality is the one formulated by Sack according to which "territoriality is a spatial strategy to affect, influence or control resources and people through the control of an area. In geographical terms it is a form of spatial beh
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20192 min read
Urban space and power: part 1
From animal territoriality to human territoriality Territoriality is a recent concept, set for the first time by the English ornithologist H.E. Howard, in his book "Territory in bird life" ("The territory in the life of birds") of 1920. The concept of territoriality develops in fact in the context of those researches of animal ethology that studied the relationship between organisms and their own environments of life or habitat . For H.E. Howard the animal territoriality is
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20192 min read
Half citizens (2): the mall
In shopping centers we can be considered citizens in half: we are allowed to circulate, but only at certain times, we are allowed to stay, but without disturbing, we are allowed to speak, but evidently without protest. An almost infinite literature has described the typology of the shopping center as a new category of being in public in the contemporary city . The shopping center, born in the United States since the thirties of the twentieth century and of which the American
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20192 min read
Half citizens (1): forms of control in urban space
In addition to the traditional categories of analysis, some useful criteria for urban planners and experts in recognizing the nature of public and collective spaces, those spaces that allow to increase citizenship practices. The literature that studies the functioning of urban public spaces usually observes individual and social behavior in space to identify minimal design factors (such as urban design) capable of making them more hospitable, usable by potential users. The m
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20192 min read
Saigon in urban perspectives
Saigon can take advantage of Milan’s experience to plan its future developments based on its water network, as the new structure of its master plan. Green areas could be linked with waterways to create the sustainable structure of the new city. Milan , after 100 years of industrialization and modernization has realized to have lost its historical relationship with water; rivers and canals have been buried and they are now hidden underground. As a key element of the natural la
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20191 min read
Public spaces in the traditional city. Is there another model?
Jane Jacobs in 1961, with 'The death and life of great American cities' explores, from the perspective of the concrete life of city dwellers, the relationship between public space and private space, between public behavior and private behavior, trying to put the emphasis on the role of urban space as an important device for social integration processes. Jacobs' thesis is that it is possible to observe, in some urban public spaces (primarily roads and sidewalks) with specific
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20193 min read
Cellular city: put the car out of the neighbourhood
Il problema che si poneva di fronte al gruppo di lavoro che elaborò il noto rapporto ‘Traffic in Towns’ (The Buchanan Report 1963) era quello di un conflitto tra due principali esigenze nella città moderna: quella della libertà di circolazione del traffico automobilistico da una parte; quella della preservazione della qualità dell’ambiente urbano dall’altra. Il traffico automobilistico viene analizzato nelle relazioni con l’insediamento urbano, cioè in funzione delle divers
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20192 min read
Spazio pubblico urbano come scuola di vita
Tradizionalmente la categoria urbanistica di spazio pubblico ha fatto riferimento principalmente allo spazio aperto di proprietà pubblica , e cioè la strada, la piazza, il parco, il giardino e la galleria commerciale. Maurice Cerasi (1976), affrontando il problema dal punto di vista storico e di costruzione della città, definiva ‘spazio collettivo’ « il sistema unitario di spazi e di edifici inglobati nel territorio urbanizzato che hanno una incidenza sulla vita collettiva, c
Francesco Procacci
Nov 3, 20193 min read
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