Future heritage. Starting again from culture

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Unification of Italy (2011), a survey revealed that among the “reasons of national pride” was our artistic and cultural heritage (74.9%). It was possible to expect a resumption of interest (and conscience), about the importance of protection. That was not there. It is evident from the collapse of important archeological areas, the lack of maintenance of cultural assets and, above all, the absence of a serious safeguard policy. What is the reason for this divarcation so wide between reality and potentials too often unexpressed? Several parties have referred to the lack of adequate funding. That is not the case. The causes are multiple and interdependent. Three main ones. The first is of a cultural order. Culture comes from the latin colere which, before cultivating, means taming a place to live there. Otherwise, it is the conscious choice of «embodying the sign of man on a landscape that will be altered forever» (M. Yourcenar, 1951). The second corresponds to the fact that each designing act must be able to relate to the context not only as a space of proximity but also as a focus on relational and topological values. This implies the ability to refer to a precise ethical foundation: to nourish «a profound feeling for the beauty of the soil [...] looking for the beauty of the landscape not so much to build on it as to serve it in construction» (F. L. Wright, 1958). Lastly, perhaps the most serious risk. The ruling of the Council of State no. 4614 of 3 October 2017 provides that the public administration may entrust the task of drafting an urban plan free of charge (by public invitation). Is it a professional category problem? No, it is about everyone: environment, territory, and landscape are common goods par excellence. Failing to take an interest in it means to go helpless to an "illusory progress" (A.Zanzotto, 2009), which will be difficult to go back.