Design for all, a strategic, inclusive and sustainable challenge for the Arab and Norman UNESCO itinerary of Palermo

Abstract

Sicily, with its seven sites recognized by UNESCO, is the Italian region that can boast the highest number of them: the last elected is the city of Palermo, which since 2015 is also part of the prestigious World Heritage List. The Palermo’s Arab and Norman itinerary unfolds through also seven monuments: the Royal Palace, the Palatina Chapel, the Churches of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, Martorana and San Cataldo, the Cathedral, the Zisa palace and the Admiral’s Bridge, adding also the Cathedrals of the cities of Cefalù and Monreale. However, Palermo has some critical issues that make the tourist route difficult and uncomfortable, not easily accessible, because of the limited physical connections that make it difficult, both for citizens and tourists with disabilities to move from one monument to another one. Communication and easy accessibility become urban and architectural design priorities, as well as the safety of use in the intricate maze of narrows and winding alleys, often presenting stairs or steep slopes inside the historic spaces, having discontinuous stony paving and so creating architectural barriers. The theme could be extended to many other parts of the historic center and to the expanded use of all the city monuments: Palermo, a Mediterranean capital, becomes a monument and a great architecture of itself, experienced most of the year along the street and in the pedestrian paths, the squares and the other city open spaces. This study aims to address the issue of accessibility for different users, with particular attention to the fragile ones and different ways of traveling/moving (on foot, by bike, in a wheelchair, etc.), extended to the analysis of the historic city center and with a particular attention to the Arab and Norman itinerary.