Wellbeing park design in urban redevelopment strategy. The case of Montecatini Terme, Italy

Across Europe, several thermal towns established in the nineteenth-century have faced a profound crisis in recent decades due to shifts in tourist demand and the difficulty of renewing a well-established touristic model. Montecatini Terme in Italy is a case in point: its tradition of diuretic waters dates back to the Middle Ages, and the city boasts a rich system of thermal facilities built in the early 1900s of exceptional historical and artistic value. In 2021, the city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site within the "Great Spa Towns of Europe" network. Montecatini's peculiarity lies in its thermal structures being located within a park (the Terme Park), which has always played a significant role in the city's tourism. Due to a decline in thermal tourism for medical purposes, the city has gradually reduced its economic impact. Currently, the thermal system is fragmented among various owners (the municipality, the thermal company, and other private entities) and only partially operational, with several facilities closed and abandoned. Similarly, the park is now partially fenced and inaccessible due to a lack of maintenance. The city is in the process of developing a new Tourism Strategic Plan aimed at reconfiguring it as a “wellness city”. Following the guidelines outlined in the plan, the Terme Park assumes a new centrality within the urban context. This contribution presents the outcomes of preliminary research and conceptual design work to redefine the park's role in the system and reorganize its uses and functions. The goal is to translate the general directions of the new Tourism Strategic Plan into a design proposal, developing specific aspects such as greenery, water, and biodiversity as catalysts for the renewal of Montecatini's tourist proposal. The project acknowledges the rediscovery of the value of self-care, stemming from the pandemic, and adopts a holistic approach to urban design for well-being. The proposal aims to enhance the park's capacity to provide Ecosystem Services within the urban context while simultaneously proposing a sustainable transformation model, also from an economic perspective. The park's refunctionalization focuses on three key elements: nature, art, and water. The aim is to enhance and increase the natural heritage of the area, creating thematic areas and structuring botanical paths for biodiversity. Furthermore, Montecatini's rich artistic tradition, tied to names like Joan Mirò, has inspired a new narrative. In this scenario, water, a protagonist in the city's history, regains a new centrality. In conclusion, the case of Montecatini represents an interesting case for other spa cities facing similar challenges and serves as a reference for the redevelopment of urban green spaces.