FROM INDUSTRY TO INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE. QUALITATIVE INDICATORS IN SUSTAINABLE RENEWAL PROJECTS. RESEARCH STUDY IN SOUTHERN ITALY

Southern Italy is rich in examples of “industrial archaeology”, which contributes to the creation of the industrial urban landscape that emerged from the eighteenth century and that testifies the process of transformation of both environment and society. The transition from industry to industrial heritage represents a cultural breakpoint in appreciating the potential of these architectures, in the awareness of achieving sustainable development goals and reducing the consumption of resources. Recovery of abandoned factories represents a unique opportunity to rethink new and improved urban, social, economic, and cultural strategies. Certainly, it is not possible to pay the same attention to all the former industries of the Twentieth century, but there is a need for a primary selection by starting from a value comprehensive reflection. This paper intends to propose a methodology of analysis and action in any architectural and urban recovery and regeneration programs, evaluating all the aspects involved in recovery projects. This approach includes qualitative parameters of protection and development, in order to obtain more efficient and sustainable solutions. In this context, every project for the recovery and reuse of former factories allows both to rediscover the dynamic vocation of cities and to understand the historical-artistic value of such buildings crystallized in the not-too-distant past.