Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development: Impact Assessment of Two Adaptive Reuse Projects in Siracusa, Sicily

Cultural heritage and sustainable development

Francesca Nocca (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II)

In a world that is becoming more and more globalized and urbanized, as also highlighted by the United Nations, “the future of humanity is undoubtedly urban”. In fact, cities are the place where the main challenges of sustainable development are concentrated. The way in which cities are planned and managed has impacts on the quality of life of the citizens who live in them. Cities provide jobs, public and private services, infrastructure, and educational opportunities. A total of 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas in 2050, and thus cities will play a key role in sustainable development. There is a need to identify new development models in order to make cities more sustainable. There is a need to change and improve the way we produce wealth by decoupling the production of value from the production of negative impacts, both environmental and social ones. A new economy is therefore needed, for re-establishing the relationship and the balance between natural ecosystems and human activities, a necessity also confirmed by the COVID19 pandemic. In this framework, the circular economy model can be proposed. It is suggested as a way to put sustainable development concepts into practice. It is based on the idea that nothing in nature is “waste” and everything may be turned into a “resource”. It relates of the closing of resource flows. A circular economy is one that mimics the circular processes of the natural economy. This is a “regenerative economy”. There are currently 114 definitions of the circular economy in the scientific literature. Furthermore, the circular economy has been identified by the United Nations in Goal 12 of the 2030 Agenda and in paragraphs 71–74 of the New Urban Agenda (the final report of the Habitat III conference) as a general development model that has impact on social and natural contexts while creating new economic wealth. The entry points for the implementation of the circular economy model in cities can be various. As emerges from many case studies, the entry points are mainly linked to those production chains that include greater flows of resources in cities: food chain, construction sector, energy, etc. However, one entry point that can play a key role in the implementation of the circular model is cultural heritage, that can be a significant “cyclifier” in triggering circular processes. When a cultural building can no longer have its original function, it has to be adapted to new needs and identifying a new function is inevitable to preserve it. However, cultural heritage that no longer has its original use still has its historical, social and cultural values. Adaptive reuse is a strategy for preserving those values while adapting the function to the new community needs. The circular economy and adaptive reuse are two intertwined concepts. In fact, both circular economy and the adaptive reuse of cultural heritage aim to prolong the lifetime of resources, that is the use values in an indefinite time. The adaptive reuse allows to extend the use values of cultural heritage, preserving its integrity and authenticity, so that it can continue to be enjoyed by both present and future generations. So, it can represent an important contribution in “decoupling growth from resource consumption”. Adaptive reuse, in line with the circular economy principles, conserving “alive” a symbol of community identity (cultural benefits), increasing economic productivity (economic benefits), reducing resource consumption (environmental benefits), and producing social benefits (i.e., employment). Evaluation processes play a fundamental role in choosing the preferable function for reusing cultural heritage. The study “Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development: Impact Assessment of Two Adaptive Reuse Projects in Siracusa, Sicily“ investigates the impacts of adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, in terms of preserving the identity of cultural heritage, protecting its intrinsic value, and enhancing, at the same time, the development dynamics of the urban area in which the reuse project is implemented. In particular, the paper aims to understand the relationships between the implementation of adaptive reuse projects and their success (or not) in terms of impacts on the buildings themselves and on the urban context. The assessment framework for evaluating the impacts of heritage conservation and rehabilitation projects is described through the analysis and comparison of two Italian case studies: the Ancient Market and the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle, in Siracusa (Italy). Although realized both in the same place (Ortigia, the historic centre of Siracusa), during the same period and by the same architect, these two interventions have produced different results in terms of urban development. A set of indicators, deduced from recent scientific studies, has been used to analyse the different impacts on physical, cultural, social, environmental and economic systems. To understand in depth the causes of these two different results, a survey has been carried out involving experts. The results highlight that the choice for a new function for an abandoned building should be based on the “attraction power” of the building to its users, as well as on a prolonged and continuous attractiveness, both during the day and over the years. An unsuccessful reuse in terms of power of attraction condemns the building to a new abandonment. Therefore, a reuse project does not necessarily have positive impacts on the abandoned building and its context. The quality of the reuse intervention depends both on the quality of the architectural project and on the adequacy of the new intended use both in relation to the building itself and to the urban context in which it is located. It has to be able, in a circular perspective, to satisfy the needs of the community, keep the building “alive” (use value) and, at the same time, preserve its intrinsic value. So, it is important to include in the decision-making processes all stakeholders (above all the community), through bottom-up approaches, in order to “listen” and include the different interests, needs, values, requirements in the evaluation processes.