Cesare Chiodi

Cesare Chiodi (4 April 1885 – 29 August 1969) was an Italian civil engineer, urban planner and academic, one of the leading figures in the development of urban planning studies in 20th-century Italy. A central figure at the Polytechnic University of Milan, he played a major role in shaping urban planning education and postwar reconstruction policies.

Life and career Born in Milan, Chiodi graduated in civil engineering in 1908 from the Regio Istituto tecnico superiore (now the Polytechnic University of Milan). He began his academic career shortly thereafter, obtaining the libera docenza in bridge construction in 1914. He took part in relief efforts following the 1908 Calabria earthquake and served as an officer in the Corps of Engineers during World War I.

Elected to the Milan City Council in 1920, he served as assessor for building and urban planning (1922–1925), engaging with the city's regulatory plan and participating in international planning congresses.

In 1929–1930, Chiodi promoted the establishment of the course in urban planning at the Polytechnic University, making it a structured academic subject for engineers and architects. In 1937, he founded the Institute of Urban Planning Techniques. His book La città moderna. Tecnica urbanistica (1935; 2nd ed. 1945) became a landmark text in Italian planning studies. He taught until 1955.

As a professional, he participated in numerous competitions for master plans (including Milan, Grosseto and Verona) and designed residential, industrial and public buildings. After World War II he contributed to studies and advisory commissions for the reconstruction and planning of Milan.

Selected works La città moderna. Tecnica urbanistica (Milan, 1935; 1945) Studi e proposte degli ingegneri milanesi intorno ai problemi della ricostruzione edilizia della città (Milan, 1944)