Ecologia dell’ospitalità. Progetti e modelli per forme rigenerative di turismo nelle Alpi / Hospitality ecology. Projects and models for regenerative forms of tourism in the Alps

Over recent decades, tourism has been a major driver of transformation in Alpine territories, shaping urbanisation processes and settlement models. Today, climate change, socio-economic shifts, overtourism and abandonment are redefining its role in mountain areas. In this context, hospitality emerges as a key device mediat- ing between tourism, temporary dwelling and territorial regeneration. The paper ex- plores an ecological approach to hospitality, interpreting hospitality spaces as re- generative socio-spatial infrastructures capable of generating environmental, social and economic value in Alpine contexts. Through the analysis of regenerative tour- ism case studies and metadesign experimentations developed in degree theses, it investigates the role of design – particularly space-product-service systems – in shaping hybrid hospitality practices based on bottom-up processes, co-design and flexibility of use, identifying community-based hotels as a possible outcome. The paper contributes to the debate on contemporary mountain hospitality by propos- ing a theoretical and operational framework for regenerative tourism grounded in care, reciprocity and territorial regeneration.