The social dimension of architectural heritage reuse. Theoretical reflections from a case study in Campania Region

Abstract

In the last decades, the growing concern about land consumption, together with the awareness of cultural heritage's role for sustainable development, has led to paying greater attention to cultural properties reuse. However, the complexity embedded in reuse choices calls for proper tools that, relying on a deep knowledge of the asset understudy, can support the design and evaluation of suitable alternatives. Furthermore, as the official documents in the conservation field suggest, this complexity requires considering the social dimension of heritage reuse as a crucial factor in the decision domain. Based on these premises, the paper aims at investigating the reuse issue by focusing on its social dimension through a comprehensive approach, integrating a theoretical and methodological perspective. It moves from theoretical reflections, grounding on the conservation debate, about architectural heritage reuse social dimension. These reflections serve as a lens to analyze the different methodologies set in the evaluation field to assess alternatives for reuse projects by giving prominence to their social impact. Then, the previous reflections are better focused through a case study, identified in choosing the most suitable reuse alternative for the "Ritiro del Carmine" Monastery in the Campania Region. Finally, the implications of such an integrated approach are discussed by highlighting its strategic role in heritage conservation decisions and its room for improvement.