Naples – The city council of Naples today approved a resolution introducing a variation to the General Regulatory Plan (PRG), with the aim of preserving residential areas in the historic center neighborhoods most affected by tourism pressure.
The administration, led by Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, aims to avoid the negative effects already observed in other cities of art, where overcrowding in tourism has drastically reduced the presence of residents.
Starting from municipal data and digital platforms, the analysis highlights a growing housing difficulty for students and families with medium-low incomes, sectors particularly vulnerable to the increase in rents linked to the .
Without regulatory intervention, the risk is a further erosion of the social and cultural mix, a key element also recognized by UNESCO in confirming the historic center of Naples as a world heritage site.
How the maneuver works
The strategy is based on two pillars:
Tolerance thresholds: limits will be set beyond which the tourist use of properties must be limited or discouraged.
Residential subcategories: the “residential” destination of the PRG will be divided into sub-types, also including accommodation for tourist use.
The minimum threshold of residential capacity to be guaranteed will be calculated by cross-referencing cadastral data, demographic projections for 2034 and the current capacity of housing. In the coming weeks, with the adoption of the urban planning variant, the precise percentages will be defined.
Stop the abuses: stricter controls
Anyone who wants to convert a home into a holiday home will have to start a specific building practice - a simple communication to the SUAP will no longer be enough - and fall within the new intended use of "tourist residence". This will allow the Municipality, already engaged in activities to combat abuse, to monitor the phenomenon more effectively, especially in its informal and irregular component.
"In the absence of national regulations that give mayors adequate tools, we are acting to the extent possible to govern a delicate process," explained Manfredi, also president of Anci. The objective is clear: "Defend the living character of the historic center, which is not a museum, but an inhabited place, an essential part of the identity of Naples."
The variation to the PRG will be adopted within the next few weeks, with an updated mapping of the buildings in the Unesco area. In the meantime, the administration assures: «We are not against tourism, but we want it to develop in a sustainable way, without emptying the city of its citizens».
The idea of preserving the residential area in the historic center is great but I wonder how they will control all the abuses that are around. There are so many apartments that are rented without rules, and this creates problems.