A list of dos and don’ts in view of the next earthquake in Italy

The paper compares the earthquakes that struck the northern region of Friuli in 1976 and the southern city of Aquila in 2009. The Friuli case is a success story because the reconstruction identified the dispersed industrial sector as the economic and social engine of the damaged area and the reconstruction activity was focused on it. On the contrary, the Aquila case is a planning failure since there was no identification of that area's economic and social engine. Reconstruction resources were wasted in costly housing projects built on green-field locations, thus adding urban sprawl which has severely hindered restoration plans of the community. This paper highlights the need for a shortlist of dos and don’ts about rebuilding core urban areas hit by earthquakes, as standard guidance before the next natural disaster.