Fondazione Santagata has been entrusted by the Municipality of Genoa to conduct an Heritage Impact Assessment on the UNESCO Site “Genova, le Strade Nuove e il Sistema dei Palazzi dei Rolli” for the project of a new cableway connection between the maritime station and forte Begato.

This initiative is part of Fondazione Santagata’s broader expertise in preparing Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) to evaluate the effects of development projects on UNESCO sites, identify sustainable solutions, and promote measures that balance the preservation of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) with the sustainable development goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda.

CONTEXT

The UNESCO site “Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the System of the Palazzi dei Rolli,” inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2006, encompasses parts of Genoa’s historic center, one of the largest in Europe. It represents the first example in Europe of an urban development project with a unified structure, planned by public authorities and linked to a unique system of public hospitality in private residences.

The site includes 42 Renaissance and Baroque palaces along the so-called “Strade Nuove,” forming a link between the medieval streets to the south and modern traffic infrastructure to the north.

OBJECTIVES

The Heritage Impact Assessment is a methodological tool designed to analyze the positive or negative impacts of proposed transformations on the values, attributes, authenticity, and integrity of World Heritage sites. For Genoa’s UNESCO site, this assessment aims to determine the extent to which specific transformations might affect the core and buffer zones of the site, with the ultimate goal of minimizing or preventing adverse impacts on its cultural heritage.

EXPECTED RESULTS

The Heritage Impact Assessment allows to determine the following:

  • A structured analysis of the values and attributes of the UNESCO site potentially affected by the project.
  • An evaluation of the impacts and an estimation of the extent of changes resulting from the project implementation.
  • A set of recommendations to guide subsequent phases of planning, design, and project execution.

COMMISSIONER

Municipality of Genoa