Abstract
In the last few decades the renewal of waterfront contexts has been especially inspired by neoliberal approaches favoring the creation of residential units and entertainment facilities. However, sustainability frameworks suggest that the economic dimension should be interpreted in a way that goes beyond the profitability of the interventions and that takes into account non-monetary values as well. In light of the complex social value (CSV) theory—which considers as a fundamental value component the intrinsic values attributed by communities to environmental and cultural heritage resources—this article proposes the adoption of exploratory methods to firstly map and then integrate citizens’ points of view into the evaluation and design of redevelopment scenarios, selecting the ex-industrial complex of Officine Piaggio (Italy) as a case study. Survey results highlighted that discrepancies between the new functions advanced by official redevelopment proposals and citizens’ opinions were present, and that values such as memory and collective meaning need to be considered if multidimensional sustainability represents a goal. Coherent with these results, a new project scenario is then envisioned and implications related to the application of exploratory methods in the decision-making and policy-design processes are finally advanced.
Highlights
The redevelopment of waterfront contexts is a multifaceted issue that has received great attention in the last decades, and some of the dimensions that definitely need to be taken into account during the decision-making and policy-design processes concern the environmental, economic, cultural and social sustainability of the hypothesized interventions [1,2,3,4,5,6]
This case study seems of particular relevance, since the redevelopment of Officine Piaggio is currently the object of a lively debate between private owners, the local public administration, Fondo Ambiente Italiano, inhabitants and tourists
A methodology aimed at supporting decision-making in sustainable redevelopment of waterfront contexts was proposed
Summary
The redevelopment of waterfront contexts is a multifaceted issue that has received great attention in the last decades, and some of the dimensions that definitely need to be taken into account during the decision-making and policy-design processes concern the environmental, economic, cultural and social sustainability of the hypothesized interventions [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The process of re-use of abandoned or inefficiently used historic buildings is central for revitalizing communities and improving their quality of life In line with this framework, in this paper we adopt exploratory methods capturing residents’ and non-residents’ points of view as a way to investigate the non-monetary values of waterfront contexts, to explore their intrinsic values [16] and to critically evaluate potential and actual courses of action. We apply this approach to the case of Officine Piaggio, i.e., an abandoned ex-industrial waterfront complex located in Finale Ligure (Italy). The argument concerns the actions to be pursued in relation to the protection, transformation or even demolition of this compound, and it may be advanced that a structured investigation of its multiple value components could better inform the decision-making process and overcome top-down approaches favoring short-term economic goals and excluding potential historical, symbolical, cultural and aesthetic values
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
