Urban Planning in Italy: The Future of Urban General Plan and Governance

This article aims to highlight and, whenever possible, demonstrate that the urban general plan is still the instrument of the utmost importance to trigger and steer urban transformations. Within the current Italian context, the article examines the characteristics, contradictions, weaknesses and opportunities of urban planning set of rules and practices and tries to propose concrete answers to questions and issues strictly connected that affect the municipality's urban planning: how to manage and govern a contemporary metropolis or city agglomeration, the concerns associated with overlapping jurisdictions and different rules for various hierarchical administrative levels, the costs of social and common services, the need to include in the urban plan the possible use of European Union Structural Funds, the real estate market affecting new development and urban regeneration programmes and investments. All these aspects should be included in a unifying and strong planning instrument, the urban plan, which could address and steer effectively the urban planning policies and their governance.     

Cathedral of Milan: Structural History of the Load-Bearing System

The structure of the Cathedral of Milan is studied. The features of the building and the original aspects of its load-bearing system are discussed. The progressive development of the structural system is described following its historical phases through four centuries. The final configuration is then analyzed with its main load paths. Detailed information, collected during the 20th century restoration work, was used to determine the geometry and loads. Preliminary analyses are based on equilibrium principles, within the framework of limit analysis for masonry constructions. The main structural restoration works taking place during the life of the Cathedral of Milan are outlined. The results provide a basis for the verification of more detailed numerical analyses and a reference for restoration interventions. Furthermore, the introductory analyses presented here develop the knowledge for future studies devoted to the Cathedral of Milan, encompassing structural, construction, and architectural issues.     

Masticatory and non‐masticatory dental modifications in the epipalaeolithic necropolis of Taforalt (Morocco)

In this study, we used standardized methods to investigate masticatory and non‐masticatory dental alterations (chipping, notches, interproximal grooves) in teeth from the epipalaeolithic necropolis of Taforalt (Morocco, about 12,000–11,000 BP). The particular distribution of some of the alterations could be related to avulsion of the upper central incisors, a systematic ritual characterizing all adult individuals of the necropolis. Because of this practice, the functions of the anterior teeth (cutting and tearing portions of food while eating, holding objects, etc.) likely shifted to the posterior teeth. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A case of ‘butterfly’ vertebra from Sardinia

We describe a rare congenital malformation of the spine known as ‘butterfly’ vertebra, which is classified as a congenital developmental anomaly in the early embryonic period, resulting in a sagittally cleft vertebral body. In our case, the anomaly affects an adult female and involves the fifth lumbar vertebra and first sacral vertebra; it is not associated with other anomalies of the spine. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.