Public Heritage in Transformation
#CallForAbstract
Public Heritage in Transformation
edited by Francesca Cremasco (Politecnico di Milano), Silvano Arcamone (Agenzia del Demanio, Direttore Regionale Sicilia)
Although largely inaccessible or even invisible to the community, the public heritage of abandoned buildings is composed of an extensive complex of strategic cultural heritage, scattered throughout the country and referable to different eras and styles, applications and typologies. They are building aggregates, isolated buildings, vast territorial compartments that today present themselves as opportunities for rethinking cities, historic centres – small, medium and large – and peri-urban areas. This is an opportunity (won, lost, tried) for territories to rediscover perspectives of meaning, to integrate new uses and functions, to equip themselves for the new challenges of living, not only by responding to primary and contingent needs, but by offering facts, urban opportunities at the service of society. The (only?) urban enclosures in which to give concrete form to new utopias, new cities, starting from the ruins of past functions, often in buildings of historical value and therefore protected. This is a condition that does not only concern Italy, but all the countries of Europe, despite the diversity of practices, cultural approaches and legislation.
This initiative is therefore intended to be an opportunity to compare emblematic cases, strategies, practices and projects on an Italian and European level. The aim is to compare and return in a reasoned form the different and alternative strategies that the protagonists of the current season of urban regeneration are implementing, and which govern the destiny of these fundamental territorial presences. To this end, given the variety and diversification of the theme, some of its facets, in which this initiative is particularly interested, are highlighted.
The aim of this call for abstracts is to collect contributions on virtuous projects, critical interventions, complex and overall general or particular critical analyses, narratives on public heritage recovered or in the process of redevelopment, trying to comparatively assess the balance of these processes. It is not a question here of narrating the history of the experience of heritage protection or recovery – this is not the time to sketch out the outlines of a historiography on the subject – but rather of highlighting processes, methods, reflections, elements that contribute to the development of projects and the identification of paradigmatic experiences on an Italian and European scale.
The aim is to focus on restoration and refunctionalisation experiences, but also to identify the contextual factors (regulatory, political-administrative, professional, market or social demand) that have generated and guided – in a more or less positive way – the recovery of public heritage. It is of interest to bring out the effects of redevelopment interventions on the territory and communities concerned. The aim is, therefore, to verify whether, through the regeneration forecasts of the physical city, an effective and more overall regeneration of the social, cultural and economic fabric in the urban context is manifested.
There are two ways to participate in the conference:
Abstract category
Authors wishing to participate in the call for abstracts are invited to send a contribution, in Italian or English (4000 characters including spaces), with bibliography, a maximum of 5 images and a brief biographical note (350 characters including spaces), to the emai in_bo@unibo.it, by 15/01/2025. Abstracts will be evaluated anonymously by the Scientific Committee.
Project category
Authors wishing to participate in the selection of projects are invited to download the 70x100 cm table template (attached herewith), completing it with the description of the project in 1-2 consequential tables including the graphic apparatus necessary for the illustration (e.g. images, renderings, drawings). The projects will be assessed by the Scientific Committee.
DEADLINES
January 15th, 2025 | Deadline of the call for abstracts
March 4th, 2025 | Notification for acceptance
March 31st, 2025 | Deadline for the submission of abstracts and posters
May 15-16th 2025 | Conference ‘Public Heritage in Transformation’
May 30th 2025 | Submission of extended contribution
For details regarding the conference, please visit the website: ghirardacci.org
