New centrality in UNESCO buffer-zones: two Mediterranean case studies. Per una nuova centralità delle buffer-zones UNESCO: due casi studio nel Mediterraneo

Abstract

The paper presents an interdisciplinary reflection on the potential for sustainable development of communities and their cultural landscapes expressed by UNESCO Buffer Zones in the Mediterranean, with the intention of transforming their widespread perception as mere tools of protection and urban planning into concrete integrated proposals for protection and enhancement, and also taking into account the role of museums in promoting the understanding of cultural heritage and the maturation of an awareness of the value of such actions. With reference to the 2004 guidelines UNESCO and starting from the evaluation of some management plans, such as that of the Arab-Norman itinerary in Palermo and the archaeological park of the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, reflections are made on future developments and the need to improve the relationships between the core zones and their reference context and to exploit the design potential of the Buffer Zones. An experiment in the integration of strategic planning and territorial management, in which multidisciplinary research between museography and restoration gives central importance to the issues of enhancing Buffer Zones in the name of inclusion and physical and cultural accessibility.