Panel: CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES AND THE PRODUCTION OF SPACE: AGENCY, POWER AND PURPOSES



711.1 - ECCLESIASTICAL ASSETS AND THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: FROM FRAGMENTED OWNERSHIP TO UNIFIED URBAN AGENCY

AUTHORS:
Bartolomei L. (Centro Studi Cherubino Ghirardacci ~ Bologna ~ Italy)
Text:
In the contemporary Western city, the crisis of housing equity and the displacement of vulnerable populations demand a radical reimagining of ecclesiastical welfare. Based on a experimental census of religious properties in Northern Italian cities conducted through a GIS-based research project, this paper observes that while these assets are not necessarily underutilised, they suffer from a lack of unified strategic management. Currently fragmented across a multitude of independent legal entities, this vast spatial capital fails to exert its full transformative potential. The study argues that if this heritage were managed through a unified community strategy, it could serve as a decisive lever to reclaim the "right to the city". By transitioning from a parcellised management to a coordinated urban agency, Christian communities could fundamentally reshape the hospitality profile of their cities, countering the erosive pressure of mass tourism. In conclusion, the paper investigates specific strategies and "concrete utopias" through which this fragmented heritage can be reassembled into a cohesive, prophetic urban strategy, ensuring housing rights and social stability for the most fragile urban populations.