PSI - Issue 78

Gianluca Fagotti et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 2070–2077

2072

2. Management of the post-earthquake reconstruction For the management of the post-2016 earthquake reconstruction, Legislative Decree 189/2016 mandated the Extraordinary Commissioner to exercise his duties, including through ordinances. To address the difficulties that arose during the first phase of reconstruction, Legislative Decree 76/2020 significantly strengthened the Commissioner's powers, derogating from current legislation. The Extraordinary Commissioner is thus tasked, among other things, with identifying urgent and particularly critical interventions and works, including those related to the reconstruction of the historic centres of the municipalities most affected by the 2016/2017 earthquakes, in order to implement the necessary expedited measures to ensure their rapid and effective implementation. To ensure immediate implementation of interventions and a speedy recovery in the areas damaged by the earthquake, both in terms of restoring the population's normal living conditions and supporting the restoration and resumption of existing economic activities, the ordinances include provisions derogating from current regulations, particularly those of the Public Contracts Code, given that the reconstruction needs are so complex that they cannot be effectively addressed through ordinary procedures. Regarding the specific situation of Castelluccio, almost entirely destroyed by the 2016 earthquake, Special Ordinance No. 18/2021 entrusts the reconstruction of the whole village to public management. This is part of a single recovery program that integrates the provision of primary services and the restoration of both public and private buildings. This program aims to enable the complete reconstruction of the urban form by restoring the morphology of the land and the configuration of public and private spaces. The Umbria Special Reconstruction Office (USR) has been designated as the implementing body for the project for which procedural simplifications have been established. The Ordinance defines the actions and activities to be implemented to begin the overall reconstruction of the historic centre of Castelluccio, identifying the structures whose reconstruction or restoration is particularly urgent and critical, both in relation to their intrinsic functions and characteristics and to the objectives of rebuilding the social and economic fabric. The reconstruction of the centre of Castelluccio provides for an advanced seismic protection system based on the application of the Isolated Artificial Ground technique, that will be illustrated in the following. The project aims to create a design model that is important not only for the safety of residents and the many tourists who visit the famous plain every year, but also for the research and innovation sector in terms of earthquake protection. This will involve the creation of a system of spaces and pathways that will make the infrastructure accessible and visitable both to professionals and to the entire scientific community interested in studying advanced processes and methods for post-earthquake reconstruction, Mezzi et al. (2019). The project aims not only to supply the community with the capacity to cope with a future disaster, but also to create a resilient village capable of transforming a critical situation into an opportunity for local development and research advancement. It is clear that, in the context of the revitalization of small historic villages, a more resilient system is, and must generally be, an advanced-quality urban system aimed to respect and enhance local identities, to regenerate affected areas through new unified visions of revitalization, to restore territorial and human balances, and rebuild not only buildings but communities, reducing the risk of isolation of these places. 2.1. Public and private works It is important to highlight the complexity of the reconstruction effort, which aims to restore functionality, but also to preserve and restore the identity of the places, through the safeguarding and reconstruction of the unique and representative elements of the architectural and landscape heritage, as well as the cultural and symbolic values. An examination of the sites and the works to be carried out highlighted a strong mutual interference between the buildings undergoing reconstruction and public spaces, both due to the direct sharing of foundation soil containment structures and the proximity of their locations, which necessitates close coordination of the construction site, imposing a specific construction sequence. Based on the objectives set forth in the city council resolution of May 24, 2021, and the general principles set forth in Article 1 of Special Ordinance No. 18/2021, confirmed with the approval of the Implementation Plan (Resolution No. 1 of March 14, 2022, Norcia City Council), the priority public interventions preparatory to public and private reconstruction have been identified. These interventions are essential to creating the urban infrastructure