International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.4, 2023

Fault Lines in Italy: Earthquakes, Urbanization and Historic Change in the 20th Century

(Abstract)

Giacomo Parrinello

Sicily is one of the most active seismic zones in Italy and has been affected by frequent earthquakes. Earthquakes have shaped their history in terms of culture, environmental management, spatial planning, regulations, and economic development, and subsequent earthquake reconstruction efforts have left tangible and intangible traces in settlements, cultures, and societies. This article presents the environmental history of the two major earthquakes in Sicily in the 20th century, based on the monograph Fault Lines: Earthquakes and Urbanism in Modern Italy, analyzing the dynamic evolution and continuity between urban modernization and reconstruction efforts before and after the earthquakes.