8th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geoparks

Often building preservation is based on the premises of either being of architectural or historical interest. We could, on the other hand, think of old buildings from the perspective of communities: the resources of materials and energy that has gone into their construction and the resources they have consumed for generations. With this in mind, the relationship between built heritage to sustainability becomes evident. By appreciating and caring for what we already have – use and reuse the tangible heritage around us – we simply maintain cultural heritage and identity.

Old buildings have come to new life as meeting spots in the rural regeneration-project RURITAGE. In the RURITAGE project, several communities have chosen to reuse neglected buildings as their Rural Regeneration Hubs. The hubs are meant as meeting places for key actors, stakeholders and inhabitants to meet. The buildings provide sustainable new function which now benefits the local communities, as they are now functioning living labs where development strategies are produced in cooperation between various actors.

Where / Italy
Who / Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna