Narratives of Urban Resilience and Sustainability in Southern Italy: The Case Studies of Matera (Basilicata) and Filadelfia (Calabria)

This paper focuses on the concept of urban resilience and on some thematic declinations of the term, by comparing two case studies in Southern Italy: Matera (Basilicata) and Filadelfia (Calabria). The historical, social, and cultural processes manifesting in these cities can be viewed as symbols of sustainability and urban resilience. The latter is defined as the ability of a city’s systems, businesses, institutions, communities, and individuals to survive, adapt, and grow, regardless of the chronic stress and acute shocks they experience. In these two specific cases, different experiences, and similarities are narrated focusing attention on the contrasting paths to urban resilience and sustainability after such shocks. The hypothesis considered in this paper concerns the concept of urban resilience linked to socio-cultural structures. For example, Matera, transformed from the definition of a “national shame” to the European Capital of Culture in 2019, due to synergy between policymakers, stakeholders, and citizens. In comparison, Filadelfia, destroyed by an earthquake in 1783, was rebuilt on a solid, bottom-up approach, serving as an example of an innovative and resilient urban scheme.