Plannning and Authenticity. A Materialist and Phronetic Perspective

The authenticity discourse in planning raises questions directly pointing to a deep reform of assumptions and methodologies of research and practice. This chapter deals with such a critical perspective, discussing authenticity and planning against the background of a critical urban theory infused with materialism and empiricism. Rather than offering a comprehensive standpoint, the chapter mostly aims to highlight challenges and perspectives that the authenticity discourse brings about, stressing its subversive power in the epistemological and moral framework of planning research. It uses the example of the Forum ruins in Rome to discuss such challenges on the practical ground of conflicting values and contrasting notions of authenticity, reflecting on a place – the Imperial Fora – whose authenticity is apparently undisputable.