Un'idea all'opera : la questione del paesaggio nella ricostruzione delle città della Valle della Loira

In January 2010, the Cultural Heritage Inventory Service of the region of Centre launched a research program dedicated to the study of the rebuilt areas of the Loire Valley cities. The cases of Blois, Tours, and Châteauneuf-sur-Loire proved that any analysis of the post World War II architectural and urban plans needs to consider the evolution of the landscape. In fact, the reconstructed areas are a key part of the landscape of the Loire Valley and, since 1940, the issue of landscape had become an important aspect of the reconstruction proposals. Along the river, the topography offered interesting perspectives of the urban contexts, wherefrom the monumental masses of churches and castles emerged. Therefore, the main issue was the reconstitution of such wide-sweeping views. The archives confirm that the careful attention paid to the landscape was twofold: first of all, through the theoretical reflection on specific features of the Loire Valley architecture; and secondly through the establishment of plans and r

egulations which would be appropriate in relation to the exceptional character of such places. Between environmental protection and reconstruction, the urban landscape resulting from these large projects has proven to be a key subject of study within the research program. Its tools and objectives have been specifically clarified according to the results of its first phase, namely the case of Blois. [Publishers' text].