“The debate on urban regeneration has found new centrality with the bill currently under discussion in the Senate Environment Commission, aimed, once transformed into law, at encouraging the redevelopment of real estate through a series of concessions and public instruments. The The bill places particular emphasis on collaboration between local administrations and private owners, with the aim of promoting urban regeneration interventions in the most degraded areas of the country. Nonetheless, this initiative raises many doubts among those who see the proposed measures as a strengthening of state dirigisme. capable of distorting the real estate market and stifling private initiative”. He stated this to Southern Gazette the president of Confedilizia Calabria, Sandro Scoppa.
“In Calabria, where the real estate assets require urgent interventions, the idea of state incentives – Scoppa specified – risks further fueling the dysfunctions of the system, rather than resolving them. The region presents a dramatic real estate situation, with largely obsolete buildings and in degraded conditions. ISTAT data indicates that approximately 70% of its buildings were built before 1990, and of this, approximately 40% date back to before the 1970s. These buildings are often non-compliant with current regulations on seismic safety and energy efficiency. Research by CRESME estimates that in the Calabrian region there are over 250,000 residential buildings that require structural interventions or energy requalification, with approximately 70,000 in conditions of advanced degradation. This impressive number includes buildings that present significant structural problems, but also properties that require interventions to adapt to energy and seismic standards. In particular, seismic risk constitutes one of the most critical challenges for Calabria: it is in fact included in zones 1 and 2 of the Italian seismic classification, which correspond to the areas at highest risk. In a context of such great vulnerability, the improvement of structures becomes a priority, but bureaucracy and regulatory constraints prevent timely and effective interventions”.
According to Scoppa “another worrying fact concerns energy efficiency: according to ENEA, approximately 80% of Calabrian structures are not up to current energy standards, with significant costs for residents. This energy inefficiency is particularly evident in rural areas and small urban centers, where properties lack adequate thermal insulation systems and use obsolete heating systems. Apart from this, it must be considered that rural areas and small Calabrian villages have also been hit hard by the phenomenon of depopulation, which has left thousands of buildings empty or in a state of abandonment. According to Coldiretti, around 2,500 villages across Italy, many of which are located in Calabria, risk disappearing due to abandonment. It is a phenomenon that not only impoverishes the social and economic fabric of the region, but also compromises the cultural and tourist potential of the historic Calabrian villages, which could be an important resource for local development”.
“The economic estimates for the regeneration of the real estate assets in Calabria – underlined Scoppa – speak clearly: according to a report by the Bank of Italy, over 5 billion euros would be needed to adequately address the deterioration of the building stock. The indicated figure includes both energy efficiency and seismic adaptation interventions, as well as the redevelopment of abandoned buildings and the improvement of urban infrastructure. However, the real obstacle is not only the lack of financial resources, but also, and above all, the hyper-regulation that characterizes the Italian real estate sector. Complex bureaucratic procedures, fragmented and often contradictory regulations, and difficulty accessing benefits or programs slow down or prevent any type of intervention. This regulatory system stifles private initiative and discourages property owners from undertaking redevelopment interventions, especially in the most depressed areas of Calabria. An emblematic example concerns the 110% Superbonus, which was supposed to incentivize the energy and seismic requalification of buildings. In Calabria, however, less than 10% of potentially eligible buildings were able to benefit from this instrument, due to the complexity of access procedures and regulatory requirements. Most small owners found themselves unable to take advantage of these incentives, leaving room only for large companies with the resources necessary to navigate the political-bureaucratic jungle. Faced with the scenario represented, urban regeneration cannot be entrusted to state incentives or agreements with local administrations. A paradigm shift is neededwhich gives property owners the freedom to act without state interference. Only a deregulated real estate market, where decisions are made by owners based on the logic of supply and demand, can guarantee rapid and effective redevelopment.”
“In conclusion, the urban regeneration model based on public incentives and state dirigisme – concluded Scoppa – risks failing. Calabria, with its real estate in difficulty, is a clear example of how urgent a reform of the sector is. True urban regeneration can only take place through a drastic reduction in regulations and bureaucratic constraints, which allow owners to decide independently how to intervene on their properties, in this way Calabrian cities and villages will be able to be reborn, freed from the chains of the State and returned to the economic freedom that will make them viable again”.