Practices after a Disaster: Geographical Narratives vs Territorial Dispersion

After the earthquake on 6 April 2009, L’Aquila becomes more fragmented and dispersed physically, socially, and culturally. This transformation is closely bound up with some emergency solutions as the realization of segmented and separated residential zones that determine internal inequalities. L’Aquila knows a growing sense of fear, mistrust, uneasiness and a decreasing sense of cohesion towards a social polarization typical of larger cities. What most damages the community capacity to retain its potential for communication, participation, exchange, sociability is the sudden or accelerated replacement of open and public spaces with separated and private areas. In the context of the urban transformation after the disaster that changed daily life of people and communities within the Municipality of L’Aquila, participation can represent a practice of regeneration to face urban fragmentation and territorial dispersion (Calandra, 2012). Some researchers of the Department of Human Studies, University of L’Aquila (Italy), have developed and are applying, according to the “trial-and-error” strategy, a methodology of communication and participation in research practices. It will be explained the geographical narrative issued from the participatory/participating research that involved citizens, students and scientists together (Cahill, 2007; Fuller, Kitchin, 2004; Pain, 2014) and that emphasizes the importance of places in the everyday life of people for their psycho-physical health and for the welfare of the entire community.