In July a group of students from the University of Bath, in the United Kingdom, wrote to us. They are enrolled in the Master of Architecture and, as part of Design Studio 6.1: Regenerative Cities, they chose our city as the subject of their study. This is how the visit of University of Bath students in Taranto began, and in early October it brought the group to our studio too.
University of Bath students in Taranto: the urban study
Their work aims at an urban design and masterplan proposal for a selected area of the city. First of all, however, the group wants to build a rigorous, well-documented understanding of Taranto. For this reason, during the research phase, they contacted several local organisations. They asked for materials, advice and a view on which places to observe more closely.
In their letter the students explain what drew them in: the historic fabric of the Città Vecchia, the ecological value of the Mar Piccolo, the challenges of industrial transition and the ambition of current regeneration initiatives. In other words, these are the issues that anyone designing in Taranto faces every day.
A visit to the former nautical shed
Our headquarters had caught their curiosity in particular. In fact, the studio occupies a former nautical shed in the port area, and the reuse of disused industrial fabric is one of the central themes of their research. We therefore welcomed the group into the spaces where we work every day. Together we talked about the Città Vecchia, the Mar Piccolo, industrial transition and what it means to design in a city as complex as ours.
At the end of the meeting they left us a thank-you card. Yet we are the ones who should thank them: seeing Taranto through the eyes of those discovering it for the first time reminds us how much potential it still has to express.
The project is academic and non-commercial, and the group has offered to share their analysis and final proposals with us. We will stay in touch, curious to see where their work leads.
