The emergency management and reconstruction process in small towns: the case of Barisciano (AQ)

The earthquake that hit Abruzzo Region in Italy in 2009 affected both L'Aquila and many small towns in the Abruzzi region. The manage-ment of the reconstruction of the historic centres defined as minor was different from that of L'Aquila, to take into account their peculi-arities and their territorial context. Thus, to obtain useful elements for a more efficient management of future events in similar territori-al contexts, the paper deals with the case provided by the municipali-ty of Barisciano, a small town near the city of L'Aquila, one of the most populated (1,831 inhabitants in 2009). The 2009 earthquake caused widespread damage to a large part of the built heritage, mak-ing a significant part of the unusable buildings. Accounting for the urban and demographic characteristics of the municipality of Baris-ciano, two alternative forms of assistance to the population were adopted for temporary housing: accommodation in temporary resi-dential settlements built in the town of Barisciano and in the hamlet of Villa di Mezzo or a public self-accommodation grant, aimed at providing direct economic support to displaced families. The paper describes and discusses the forms of assistance used in the municipality and the evolution over time of the costs incurred by the Italian government to assist the displaced people. The data analysis also involves the returning home process of the resident population. Although limited to the municipality of Barisciano, the analysis al-lows some peculiarities of the reconstruction process adopted in the smaller centres to be highlighted, such as the need to provide ac-commodation on site to avoid the depopulation of smaller towns and preserve them for future generations.