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Adaptive Reuse and Sustainability Protocols in Italy: Relationship with Circular Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Gaballo Marika

    (Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, Viale Mattioli 39, 20125 Turin, Italy)

  • Mecca Beatrice

    (Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, Viale Mattioli 39, 20125 Turin, Italy)

  • Abastante Francesca

    (Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, Viale Mattioli 39, 20125 Turin, Italy)

Abstract

This paper explores the enhancement of adaptive reuse (AR) of buildings through the lens of the sustainability protocols within the context of circular economy (CE) in Italy. Cities and the built environment can play a key role in the transition to a CE, especially considering the documented negative global impact due to resource consumption and waste generation. This is recognised among the principles of circularity defined by the European Commission towards a general strategy for a sustainable built environment, which encourages initiatives of building reuse and land consumption reduction. It has been proven that the AR of vacant buildings can bring environmental, social, and economic benefits towards an urban strategy based on CE principles by generating useful values to support innovative development dynamics. In this perspective, the sustainability protocols can be identified as useful tools to pursue strategies for spreading the culture of sustainable build environment. Considering the huge vacant Italian architectural heritage, this paper aims to analyze how the most widely used sustainability protocols in the Italian context currently address the enhancement of the reuse of buildings, to improve environmental, social, and economic quality in the built environment. We discuss the results highlighting how and which sustainability protocols better intercept these issues, providing grounds for future development.

Suggested Citation

  • Gaballo Marika & Mecca Beatrice & Abastante Francesca, 2021. "Adaptive Reuse and Sustainability Protocols in Italy: Relationship with Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:8077-:d:597521
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elnaz Farjami & Özlem Olgaç Türker, 2021. "The Extraction of Prerequisite Criteria for Environmentally Certified Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-27, March.
    2. Stefania De Gregorio & Mariangela De Vita & Pierluigi De Berardinis & Luis Palmero & Alessandra Risdonne, 2020. "Designing the Sustainable Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Heritage to Enhance the Local Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Benjamin Sanchez & Mansour Esnaashary Esfahani & Carl Haas, 2019. "A methodology to analyze the net environmental impacts and building’s cost performance of an adaptive reuse project: a case study of the Waterloo County Courthouse renovations," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 419-438, December.
    4. Francesca Abastante & Isabella M. Lami & Marika Gaballo, 2021. "Pursuing the SDG11 Targets: The Role of the Sustainability Protocols," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-19, March.
    5. Lami, Isabella M. & Tavella, Elena, 2019. "On the usefulness of soft OR models in decision making: A comparison of Problem Structuring Methods supported and self-organized workshops," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 275(3), pages 1020-1036.
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    5. Farzaneh Karimi & Aliakbar Kamari, 2024. "Adapting Sustainability Certification Systems for Historic Buildings: A Qualitative Comparative Study in Denmark," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-25, October.

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