Circular Economy and Reuse of Architectural Heritage in Fragile Territories

This paper aims to investigate how the architectural culture, and in particular the space design disciplines, can incorporate the paradigms of the Circular Economy in their principles and practices. The objective is to understand which theoretical postulates are valuable for defining disciplinary approaches applicable to abandoned historical contexts which need to be reactivated. The object of the research is the Italian inland areas (SNAI – Strategia Nazionale Aree Interne - National Strategy of Inland Areas), which occupy about 60% of the Italian territory. These areas are characterised by the abandonment of architectural heritage and fragile cultural landscapes. However, these under-utilised places are an extraordinary resource and possess a historical-artistic heritage that offers various opportunities for territories and communities. Their significance is able to produce a cultural, economic, social and environmental impact that can be achieved through a sustainable development strategy. The political commitment is to create a common path for the enhancement of the local economy, but also to introduce innovations into public services such as schools, health and mobility. Among interdisciplinary theoretical speculations required for the creation of a strategic approach to sustainable architectural and urban regeneration projects, this ongoing research relies on the concept of Circular Economy as a theoretical reference (Ellen MacArthur Foundation), shaped into the notion of reuse defined in the cradle - to - cradle approach (McDonough, Braungart 2002) and extended to the model of the “3Rs” and “Design for Reuse”. The result of this work is to argue that in order to define new lifecycles, avoiding tactics of high energy cost recycling, down-cycle and linear economy, it is necessary to implement a “Design for Reuse” strategy. This is a design concept in which other possible uses for products, architectural artefacts and parts of the city can be planned. Therefore, the outcome is not to find conclusive answers but to open up questions and to hypothesise partial answers for the ongoing research.