Ebook: Fault lines: earthquakes and urbanism in modern Italy

Introduction. Can earthquakes speak? -- Pt. I. The 1908 Messina earthquake. 1. The 1908 Messina earthquake -- 2. Urban reform 1880-1908 -- 3. The modern city 1909-1943;Pt. II. The 1968 Belice Valley earthquake. 4. The 1968 Belice Valley earthquake -- 5. Rural modernity 1933-1967 -- 6. Urbanized countryside 1968-1993 -- Conclusion: Fault lines.;Earth's fractured geology is visible in its fault lines. It is along these lines that earthquakes occur, sometimes with disastrous effects. These disturbances can significantly influence urban development, as seen in the aftermath of two earthquakes in Messina, Italy, in 1908 and in the Belice Valley, Sicily, in 1968. Following the history of these places before and after their destruction, this book explores plans and developments that preceded the disasters and the urbanism that emerged from the ruins. These stories explore fault lines between "rural" and "urban," "backwardness" and "development," and "before" and "after," shedding light on the role of environmental forces in the history of human habitats.