Values, Memory, and the Role of Exploratory Methods for Policy-Design Processes and the Sustainable Redevelopment of Waterfront Contexts: The Case of Officine Piaggio (Italy)

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.

The Possibilities of Preservation, Regeneration and Presentation of Industrial Heritage: The Case of Old Mint “A.D.” on Belgrade Riverfront

“…In addition, it is necessary to identify different types of industry and to create appropriate registers (with descriptions, drawings, photographs and films of the reference movable property). It is also necessary to include people's memories, which are often an irreplaceable source of data and as such, should be taken into account in order to cover various aspects of sustainability [19].…”

Memory for Social Sustainability: Recalling Cultural Memories in Zanqit Alsitat Historical Street Market, Alexandria, Egypt

“…The concept of sustainability involves seeking equality and enhanced administration of our world's resources, and it includes a number of emerging dimensions such as cultural, economic, social, institutional, technological and environmental aspects [5]. Sustainable development is 'development that meets the current demands without challenging the ability of next generations right to sustain their specific needs' [6].…”

Temporal Characteristics of Waterfronts in Wuhan City and People’s Behavioral Preferences Based on Social Media Data

“…Urban waterfronts have experienced the effects of boom to bust [2] and now revitalization plans for urban waterfronts are important contents in urban planning [3]. Therefore, a considerable amount of previous research studied successful cases of revitalization of urban waterfronts in some developed countries [8], including the design and landscape construction methods of urban waterfront spaces [9], development modes [10][11][12], and the policies on the treatment of waterfront environments [13,14]. Since we entered the 21st century, studies on waterfronts and their influences have gradually enriched, such as the openness characteristics of lakefronts in Wuhan central urban area [2], using accessibility to assess a riverfront rehabilitation project [15], taking leisure function into consideration during planning missions for waterfront spaces [16,17], and some integrated waterfront cultural planning of some waterfronts with rich cultures [18,19].…”