Zetti, Iacopo (2010). L’insediamento ben temperato. Carrying capacity e capitale territoriale. In: C. Perrone, I. Zetti. Il valore della terra. Teoria e applicazioni per il dimensionamento della pianificazione territoriale, pp. 27-47, Milano: Franco Angeli.
Is there such a thing as the ‘right size’ for our cities? In the essay ‘The Well-Tempered Settlement’, urban planning is liberated from numerical dominance and returned to a state of harmony. The author criticises models that plan urban expansion based solely on statistical projections, as these are often responsible for land consumption and social alienation.
The concept of ‘well-tempered’ suggests the need for dynamic balance: settlements should not grow indefinitely, but should be able to adapt according to the resources of the territory and the community’s need for interaction. Drawing on the ideas of pioneers such as Patrick Geddes, the essay invites us to view the city as a living organism.
Designing a well-tempered settlement therefore means finding the balance between density and overcrowding, and ensuring that public space is more than just the void between buildings — it should be a place of ‘collective happiness’. This transforms the role of the urban planner from that of a technician of quantities to a guardian of quality of life, maintaining a dynamic equilibrium with the natural cycles that ensure this quality.