Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to argue the many ways in which the conservation and revitalisation processes in Novara carried out over several decades are representative not only of the Italian approach to urban conservation but also of the fruitful relationship between institutional and social bodies.
Design/methodology/approach
Through an exploratory study approach, this paper illustrates how social actors contributed to the conservation process of Novara Old Town, and documents the regeneration of two historic complexes, the Castle of Novara and Casa Bossi. To do so, it drew upon content analyses of the official reports and planning tools and a set of semi-structured interviews conducted with the representatives of the community organisations and the Municipal Planning Board.
Findings
The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a third actor whose double role entails cooperation and conflict. The participatory approach applied in these two heritage complexes has proved to be cost-effective because it is inherently able to effect “planning in the public domain” and address socially sustainable outcomes.
Originality/value
The Italian approach to the conservation of historic cities has been widely acknowledged as a “good recipe” in the international context. However, little attention has been paid to how this success story depends on a unique relationship between public bodies and local communities. To fill this gap, the paper shed light on the historic centre of Novara and two particular heritage complexes in terms of the relations of different actors in conservation and regeneration processes.
Background: In the past century, the importance of historical villages has been highly recognized, as they serve aesthetic, functional, and environmental values and can foster local socioeconomic development through the heritagization process. The purpose of this paper is to outline the core features of the preservation and management of historical villages in the European and Chinese contexts. Methods: Using a qualitative systematic literature review, the research was based on international academic papers covering 73 case studies from the two contexts, addressing the fact that little work has been carried out comparing European and Chinese realities. Results: Similarities and differences in rural cultural heritage preservation and management between Europe and China were compared and discussed, paying particular attention to historical villages in both contexts. Using this method, rural heritage preservation in China can be better framed and analyzed for scholars engaged in both the Chinese and international contexts. Conclusions: Inspired by the European case studies, the research suggests that capacity building of different types of stakeholders, contextualized financial mechanism and multiple values the civic society perceived and recognized during the Chinese rural heritage preservation and management process should be further studied and implemented case by case based on a historical-sensitive approach. In addition, the issue of the lack of social capital and policy arrangements in rural areas should be further addressed to stimulate community resilience.
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