Uploaded on 2017-02-22 by Pierluigi Dentoni

While I was having a boat trip on the river Temo in May 2015, I took a photo of the city of Bosa (Northern Sardinia, Italy). The city was probably founded before the 12th century but it flourished during the 13th century, with the construction of the Serravalle Castle under the noble Malaspina family from Tuscany (i.e. the walls and towers you can see on top of the central hill). From that period on, the city developed on the south side of the hill until the 18th century, with a very stable and compact geometrical structure based on narrow streets and terrace houses (i.e. the city on the left of the photo). During the 19th century, the city of Bosa developed north-eastwards and with promenades on the riverside, and during the 20th century, especially during the Italian economic boom (60s-80s), the city developed with private houses and touristic structures on the east and west riversides (i.e. the buildings on the right of the photo). Examples of invisible information that emerge from this photo is the purpose group, age group, different day periods, the expectations of the people visiting and doing activities in the modern area (i.e. the buildings on the right of the photo). The presence of no people in the photo is very evocative, furthermore considering the period (May, mild and windy climate) and time of the photo (11.00 am). There is an explanation: this modern area is perceived as a detached and dormitory suburb (private houses and touristic structures hosted), depending also on the fact that it is linked to the old center through inner vehicle accessible streets, and these are the only way to access. Besides, its riverside shares the double function of personal/touristic ports and promenade, and the trees of the gardens have a mere aesthetic function and they do not protect the people from the sun in late spring, summer and early autumn. This invisible information can become knowledge and contribute to the planning of a more livable urban space solving the problems highlighted above. If the intent of a future intervention is to give a more livable urban space, the first thing to be done is to connect the old town to the west modern area with a continuous pedestrian promenade along the riverside. This would not disturb the quite state of the modern area during the night as most of the people sleeping there would use the promenade to go to the old city centre and enjoy the night movida, especially in summer. In order to avoid the double function of ports and promenade, hotspots with port function would be found along the riverside at a certain stable pace (e.g. every 500 metres). Besides, the promenade would be intergrated with deciduous trees in order to leave the sun filter in winter and protect from the sun in summer, benches to rest (especially for the elder people), and a more integrated lighting, especially for the summer use.