Revitalization strategies between culture and social marginalization. The case of the Historic Centre of Cosenza

The historic centre of Cosenza, in Calabria, has undergone a process of almost incessant depopulation since the Second World War. According to several scholars, that process has been fostered above all by the choices of municipal administrations which, through liberal urban policies and deregulation, have oriented urban development towards areas outside the historic centre. This generated a rift between the city and its centre, which over the years has been emptied of its functions - political, economic, cultural, and symbolic - and has undergone a process of abandonment and social marginalization. The present proposal intends to analyse the processes and initiatives described, trying to demonstrate how the revitalization strategies of a historic centre cannot be entrusted only to cultural policies intended to enhance the use of architectural heritage or cultural animation, but must go through a bottom-up approach through actions of social awareness, education and enhancement of resilience of the communities also towards possible economic and social shocks, as the recent Covid-19 pandemic has shown.