Page 80 - JCAU-5-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Chinese troglodyte villages toward tourism

depend on China itself. However, one of the main critical valuable resource to celebrate and preserve and, when
issues is the lack of a study protocol that allows for an sustainable, to reuse and enhance, realizing its full
adequate understanding. potential to support local community development (Pace
The lack of a study approach so far has been the basis & Salvarani, 2021).
of the lack of recognition of the high value and potential Cave dwellings in the Mediterranean basin are better-
of most of these sites. In fact, where there has been known, thanks to historical and comparative studies
an adequate understanding and interpretation of this (Laureano, 1993; Urdiales & Maccarone, 2011; Horden
heritage, there have been cases of successful conservation & Kinoshita, 2014). Furthermore, the project Vernacular
and enhancement, as demonstrated by the few cases of Knowledge for Sustainable Architecture (VerSus) gave
troglodyte settlements included in the UNESCO List. More a big input toward their knowledge. It was a European
commonly, these precious treasure nests of information initiative developed in the framework of Culture
and examples of living heritage are completely undervalued 2007–2013 program, which partners with CRAterre-
and left abandoned or sacrificed to urban development. Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble
Our research highlights that, at a global level, there are (France), Escola Superior Gallaecia (Portugal), DIDA
still many fundamental steps to go through to approach the (Department of Architecture, University of Florence-
topic and define a framework for heritage-led sustainable Italy), DDICAAR (Department of Civil Engineering,
strategies for underground rural settlements. More Environment, and Architecture, University of Cagliari-
specifically, a universally recognized and shared glossary, Italy), and Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura
a universally recognized classification for troglodyte of Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain (Vegas
architecture, the census and systematization of troglodyte et al., 2014).
settlements on every national scale are all necessary steps Hence, a partial comparison is presented below between
in a first phase of both a quantitative and qualitative a Chinese case and some worldwide famous underground
analysis of this kind of heritage. In the second phase, settlements, mostly in the Mediterranean area, some of
the improvement of the interpretation, communication, which have already been studied according to the UBH
educational, enhancement, and management practices methodology (Varriale, 2014; Varriale, 2021).
will provide bases for elaborating conscious strategies for
protecting and developing these contexts. In this scenario, The comparison is summarized in Table 4. All examples
the comparative analysis of international cases is very are located on plateaus at a latitude between 32° (the Libyan
complicated. Attempts have been made in this direction, case) and 40° (the Italian case). Differences were found in
for example, in the context of the project Underground for current uses: only Gharyan (Tripoli), Matmata (Tunisia),
Value (COST ACTION 18110, 2019-2023), leaded by the Kandovan (Iran), and Lijiashan (China) are still inhabited
National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and involving by the locals, while in the other cases, underground
the authors. This project involved more than 200 members settlements are mostly interpreted as examples of
from 32 countries. It has experienced the interdisciplinary traditional lifestyle, protected in natural areas, or inscribed
approach for promoting the UBH methodology as a in protection lists or reused.

Table 4. UBH RE-USE classification in cases from different countries
Site Country Data and information
Name of the plateau Meters o.s.l. Latitude Inhabited Interpretation
Gharyan Libya Jabal Nafüsah 700 o.s.l. 32°10' N x x
Matmata Tunisia Matmata Plateau 600 o.s.l. 33°32 N x x
Sassi Matera Italy Murge Plateau 401 o.s.l. 40°40' N x
Kandovan Iran Iran/Persian Plateau 2300 o.s.l. 37°47 N x
Derinkuyu Turkey Anatolian Plateau 1300 o.s.l. 38°37 N x
Ürgup Turkey Anatolian Plateau 1050 o.s.l. 38°38 N x
Göreme Turkey Anatolian Plateau 1104 o.s.l. 38°38 N x
Avanos Turkey Anatolian Plateau 920 o.s.l. 34°42 N x
Lijiashan China Loess Plateau 2628 o.s.l. 36°52 N x
This table illustrates the UBH RE-USE classification tested in cases from different countries. Abbreviation: o.s.l., over the sea level. Source: Table by
Roberta Varriale

Volume 5 Issue 2 (2023) 12 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0940