Project Management in Building Construction

MARIKA FIOR

Do you want to understand the essence of Italian urban planning? This course offers a comprehensive overview of land management, ranging from regulatory frameworks to the practical implementation of development plans.

What you will learn:
1) The Rules of the Game > Legislation, planning standards, and the environmental dimension of design.
2) From Theory to Practice > The real-world mechanics of implementation tools, including compulsory purchase orders and urban planning gain (land value capture).
3) The Future of Cities > Strategies for urban regeneration and the development of public infrastructure within the context of today’s climatic and ecological challenges.

The goal I have set for this course is to transform theoretical knowledge into operational expertise, enabling you to manage the transformation of established urban areas with confidence and insight.

The academic and cultural prerequisites for this course are summarised as follows:
1) Knowledge of the tiers of government in Italy. Their administrative responsibilities and objectives, with specific reference to their competencies in the field of urban planning.
2) Critical thinking skills. The ability to read, study, and synthesise materials provided by the teaching staff, including lectures and textbooks.
3) Independent research and organisation. The ability to independently gather, organise, and interpret the information required to produce the final term paper.
4) Written and oral communication skills. Proficiency in expressing the fundamental technical concepts acquired in previously completed modules.

Objectives and Content
This course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the implementation mechanisms and regulatory frameworks governing urban and architectural projects. The curriculum explores the discipline across multiple scales, transitioning from strategic spatial planning to the direct impact of municipal urban plans on individual building interventions.

Evolution and Planning Culture
Significant emphasis is placed on the evolution of Italian urban planning culture, examining the relationships and challenges that have emerged throughout the country's history. This theoretical framework is enriched by the study of key figures in Italian urbanism who, through innovation and experimentation, have profoundly shaped the discipline.

Tools and Technical Application
The course will examine the technical characteristics of urban planning and design tools in detail, focusing on:
- Form and content: the structure and components of planning documents.
- Implementation mechanisms: the operational procedures required to translate plans into reality.
- Technical dimensions of the project: critical issues such as plan capacity (sizing), building intervention types, and the relevant planning permissions.
- Public Services and the Environment: procedures for the provision of public services and amenities, alongside Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA).

The course combines lectures and practical workshops, designed to provide the critical and operational tools necessary to manage urban and architectural transformations.

Lectures are organised into three core thematic areas:
1) Legislation: the regulatory and legal framework.
2) Planning & Design: the theoretical and design dimensions of spatial planning.
3) Urban Planning Techniques: technical instruments for land management.

The workshops guide students in the development of an individual term paper. The objective is to analyse how various planning tiers define the rules for transforming built or vacant land within a municipality of the student's choice.

The paper is structured into three analytical stages:
1) Legislative and Territorial Framework
- Analysis of regional planning laws and the hierarchy of planning instruments.
- Interpretation of regional, provincial, or metropolitan spatial and landscape plans, focusing on their direct impact on the chosen municipality.

2) Municipal Framework
- Contextual analysis: historical evolution of settlements, environment, and infrastructure, alongside a chronology of local planning.
- Structural analysis of the current Municipal Plan (technical reports, regulations, and mapping).

3) Urban Analysis for Architectural Projects
- Study of general strategies applied to a specific portion of the built environment.
- Plot-level analysis to interpret specific transformation rules and constraints as defined by the Technical Implementation Regulations (NTA).

For students unable to attend the course, the examination will assess the knowledge acquired through the study of the following texts:
- The compulsory handbook: Colombo, Pagano, Rossetti (2015 or subsequent editions).
- At least four additional texts, chosen by the student from the titles listed in the course bibliography.

Please note that non-attending students are not required to produce the individual term paper.

The final assessment consists of an oral examination designed to evaluate the student’s understanding of the lecture material and at least one of the texts from the recommended bibliography.

The overall grade also includes an individual term paper, which requires an in-depth analysis of the current urban planning documents of a municipality chosen by the student.

For attending students, there is an option to take a mid-term written assessment. Successfully passing this test provides an exemption from the portion of the oral exam covering lecture content.

In summary, the final assessment comprises:
- Individual term paper (compulsory).
- Oral examination (covering the bibliography and, where applicable, lecture content).
- Optional written test (available to attending students only, serving as a partial exemption from the oral exam).

During the final oral examination, questions will initially focus on the individual term paper, which must be submitted at least one week before the chosen exam date. A brief presentation of this paper will serve as a starting point for a broader discussion on the topics covered in the recommended bibliography.

For students who have not taken or passed the mid-term assessment, the oral exam will also include questions regarding the lecture content delivered throughout the semester.