The House is our second beloved Mother and as the first Mother we can not do without. The House, even tiny, is a primary asset for human life: it is essential for our physical, psychic and relational life.
A State or a City cannot be defined as Civil if they do not provide a Home for all who live there. Without a Home for all, as it can be considered ‘crime’ occupation of an unused and dilapidated building? Where should these people, including children, live?
We need to renovate and build new Public Housing but also many historic buildings can be useful: they can give up excess space to build smart Microhouses for homeless people. Small Houses very efficient from an energy point of view, spartan, without luxuries, but safe and with social and health services easily accessible for everyone.
In Italy and Europe there are tens of thousands of historic buildings, of all types and sizes. They are found in large cities as well as small towns and many have a different use than the original (no one lives there anymore) without having become museums. In the heart of city life they provide services and host initiatives and events that offer a glamorous setting that shouts in the face of the many problems of our cities, starting with Housing.
After a lifetime spent representing the privilege of individuals (historic buildings are the emblem of the deep differences in census and social status existing at the time of their construction and are hardly the result of the sole labor of the owner) for a historic building, and more generally for a cultural asset, there is no finer purpose than to serve the community and contribute to substantially alleviate the distress of people who are not themselves responsible for living in extreme economic difficulties. For cultural heritage we always talk only of Conservation but its Destination is equally crucial.