The role of Italian cultural heritage in sustainable urban regeneration. New references from four case studies

Urban transformation generated by post-modern industrial and urban crisis has required new methodological and operational references for sustainable and resilient regeneration strategies and tools. These have highlighted a growing interest in historical, environmental and social issues. This interdisciplinary framework can enable the valorisation of strategic parts of cities with the construction of public spaces, facilities, transport and social housing and the “mending of urban fabric” in order to improve cultural identity, landscape and ecological quality and social inclusion. Italy has played a key role by initiating a debate on the recovery of the existing city by identifying conservation as a place of innovation, extending – temporally and spatially – the attention to many urban and territorial components. Nowadays, these components, such as industrial heritage and modern city landmarks, represent the core elements of multi-scalar and integrated regeneration strategies, as shown in the case studies of Venice, Naples, Florence and Genoa illustrated in the paper.