Janus of the two seas: The coastal architecture of the city of Taranto

• Autores: Francesco Masiello, Manuela Ciangola
• Localización: La modernidad marítima: arquitecturas e infraestructuras del paisaje litoral, 1925-1975 : Actas XIII Congreso Docomomo Ibérico ,A Coruña, 22-26 de octubre de 2025 / coord. por Fundación Docomomo ibérico, 2025, ISBN 978-84-09-77104-2, págs. 210-219
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This paper explores the dual coastal morphology of the city of Taranto, metaphorically represented as Janusof the Two Seas. The urban structure of Taranto is characterized by its position between two bodies ofwater – the Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo – each of which has shaped distinct social, architectural, andfunctional dynamics. Drawing from the theoretical framework of Kevin Lynch and his five urban elements(paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks), the study applies a spatial analysis to understand how theseelements manifest differently on each coast.The Mar Grande side, facing the Ionian Sea, historically represents openness, cultural interaction, andurban prestige. It features a cohesive urban fabric with significant architectural landmarks such as the GovernmentPalace by Armando Brasini and the Palazzo delle Poste e dei Telegrafi by Cesare Bazzani. Thesepublic structures, aligned along the Vittorio Emanuele III waterfront, express the city’s aspirations during theFascist era and form a series of social and spatial nodes that integrate well with the surrounding context.This western waterfront serves as a threshold of civic life and connection.Conversely, the Mar Piccolo side embodies a more introverted and industrialized narrative. Beginningin the post-war era and intensifying with the construction of the Italsider steel plant, the eastern coastevolved into a site of exclusion and environmental degradation. This area became characterized by fragmentedplanning, social marginalization, and spatial disconnection. Projects such as the TEKNE plan andINA-Casa housing developments attempted to integrate industrial growth with urban living, but were largelyovershadowed by unregulated expansion and lack of landscape-sensitive strategies. The dichotomy between the two waterfronts is not merely physical but also social and symbolic.Taranto’s urban history reflects a tension between maritime identity and industrial modernization. While onecoast promotes access and inclusivity, the other reveals spatial injustice and environmental neglect. Thistension is further articulated through the conceptual lens of Janus Patulcius (open passage) and JanusClusivius (closed passage), expressing the city’s dual role as a site of both opportunity and exclusion.The paper argues for a re-reading of Taranto’s urban development using spatial theories from Lynch,Lefebvre, Soja, and Sennett to advocate for a more equitable and integrative urban vision. By understandingthe historical layering and socio-economic shifts that shaped the city, especially along its coastlines, itbecomes possible to reimagine the Mar Piccolo not as a marginal zone, but as a potential space for urbanregeneration and social reconciliation