Carmelo Ignaccolo will present his dissertation proposal and research plan on the history and evolution of linear demolitions in the historic centers of Mediterranean Europe in the late 19th century. Ignaccolo’s dissertation aims to contextualize and evaluate the intentions and policies behind the urban transformations of historic centers and their long-term socio-economic effects.
His proposal’s goal is twofold: 1) to bring empirical evidence onto the commonalities and divergences of 19th-century urban incision practices in historic centers across Mediterranean Europe; and 2) to advance the theoretical debate on contemporary racial, social, and economic inequalities still affecting the neighborhoods shaped by late-19th-century urban metamorphoses.
By employing a digital humanities approach, Ignaccolo’s research will bring archival documents into conversation with urban demolition plans and will bridge the spatial analysis of historic maps to contemporary challenges of historic centers, such as housing shortages, gentrification, and segregation.
