Curated by Carolina Giaimo, Director of Urbanistica Informazioni, and Michele Talia, President of INU
Urbanistica Informazioni opens 2026 by presenting – in the Appendix to no. 325 – a document of critical observations on a topic at the center of both public and disciplinary debate: the –far from neutral– relationship between between building and planning, between the rules that regulate construction and those that govern the territory as a common good, a finite resource, and a space of rights.
The text takes as its starting point the draft law entitled “Delegation to the Government for the adoption of the Building and Construction Code” (4.12.2025). The delegation measure – although it presents itself as a reorganization of the building regulations – also improperly contains typically urban planning content, which however tends to place it within a framework that tends to make it subordinate to the building logic and the enabling regimes. This is a delicate step: because the distinction between urban planning (the ordering and public functions of territorial governance) and construction (the implementing function, referring to individual interventions) is not a technicality but a balance that impacts urban quality, soil protection, territorial equity, collective interests, and transparency of decisions.
For this reason, the INU, through its own National Study Group, has prepared a highly critical document, aimed at highlighting the main critical issues and systemic risks of the initiative.
In summary, the three most serious concerns are:
Significant unconstitutionality: delegation, while impacting territorial governance matters, does not adequately and preemptively define governing principles and criteria, with the risk of excessively broad delegation and potential conflicts with the division of responsibilities.
Urban planning “intruder” in construction: planning themes (plans, exemptions, equalization/compensation, changes in use, regeneration) are brought back into a building system, with the potential effect of shifting the center of gravity from the plan to the enabling title and weakening the public governance of transformations.
Coincidence and lack of sequence: delegation does not guarantee that any provisions on territorial governance will first be defined in an orderly manner; the risk is that a future legislative “urban planning” decree will emerge in a fragmented and incidental manner, without a clear hierarchy and without a framework of principles capable of guiding the system.
The meeting, however, aims to go beyond the specific criticism of the measure and broaden the discussion: what regulatory architecture is needed today to bring together ecological transition, urban regeneration, territorial rights and benefits, administrative capacity, and the quality of public decision-making. It will involve associations, representing research, academia, and the professions, for open and public discussion.
PROGRAM
Introduction and moderation
Carolina Giaimo, Director of Urbanistica Informazioni
Michele Talia, National President of INU
Speakers
Angela Barbanente, President of SIU, Polytechnic University of Bari
Paolo La Greca, President of CeNSU, University of Catania
Carlo Alberto Barbieri, INU, Polytechnic University of Turin
Italiano
Contributions