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The Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Heritage in European Circular City Plans: A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Gillian Foster

    (Institute for Ecological Economics, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business, 1020 Vienna, Austria)

  • Ruba Saleh

    (ICHEC Brussels Management School, 1150 Brussels, Belgium)

Abstract

A new movement in urban environmental policy, the circular economy (CE), aims to change how Europeans consume and produce materials and energy. Cities are taking up the CE challenge. This research inquires whether the infant CE programs in European cities include cultural heritage and adaptive reuse of cultural heritage (ARCH) buildings. ARCH buildings exemplify the central principal of the CE, which is a temporally long service life with multiple uses for several generations of users. In addition, culture and cultural heritage buildings are established drivers of socioeconomic development, urban landscape, and identity. Hypothetically, cultural heritage and adaptive reuse of cultural heritage (ARCH) buildings should be prominently included in European cities’ CE programs, particularly those cities that are highly ranked on the 2019 European Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor (Monitor). To test this hypothesis, this study creates a novel dataset that profiles the existing circular city plans of 190 European cities included in the Monitor’s ranking. Contrary to the hypothesis, just seven percent of cities in the dataset include cultural heritage. European cities are missing an opportunity to achieve their CE goals and preserve their unique identities as embodied in the built environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Gillian Foster & Ruba Saleh, 2021. "The Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Heritage in European Circular City Plans: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:2889-:d:512366
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Van Puyenbroeck, Tom & Montalto, Valentina & Saisana, Michaela, 2021. "Benchmarking culture in Europe: A data envelopment analysis approach to identify city-specific strengths," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 288(2), pages 584-597.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Wenkai Li & Xi Ye & Bo-Wei Zhu, 2025. "A decision-making model for the adaptive reuse of ‘buildings of control and reform’: the Nossa Senhora Village, Macau," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Christer Gustafsson & Elisabetta Lazzaro, 2021. "The Innovative Response of Cultural and Creative Industries to Major European Societal Challenges: Toward a Knowledge and Competence Base," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-20, November.
    3. Oluwatobi Mary Owojori & Chioma Sylvia Okoro & Nicholas Chileshe, 2021. "Current Status and Emerging Trends on the Adaptive Reuse of Buildings: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-17, October.
    4. Nadia Pintossi & Deniz Ikiz Kaya & Ana Pereira Roders, 2021. "Assessing Cultural Heritage Adaptive Reuse Practices: Multi-Scale Challenges and Solutions in Rijeka," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-20, March.
    5. Kristijan Brglez & Matjaž Perc & Rebeka Kovačič Lukman, 2024. "The complexity and interconnectedness of circular cities and the circular economy for sustainability," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 2049-2065, June.
    6. POPESCU Mara & STAICU Daniela, 2022. "Circular Economy And Religious Heritage Conservation: Adaptive Reuse Challenges," Revista Economica, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 74(2), pages 40-48, September.
    7. Ginevra Balletto & Mara Ladu & Federico Camerin & Emilio Ghiani & Jacopo Torriti, 2022. "More Circular City in the Energy and Ecological Transition: A Methodological Approach to Sustainable Urban Regeneration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-18, November.
    8. Federico Cuomo, 2022. "Urban Living Lab: An Experimental Co-Production Tool to Foster the Circular Economy," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-22, June.
    9. Biljana Stanislav Jović & Aleksandar Acim Čučaković & Mihailo Nebojsa Grbić, 2021. "Circle in Space—Space in Circle: A Study of Ratio between Open Space and Built-Up Area in Historical Circular Objects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, April.
    10. Charalampos A. Dimoulas, 2022. "Cultural Heritage Storytelling, Engagement and Management in the Era of Big Data and the Semantic Web," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-6, January.
    11. Elena Rudan, 2023. "Circular Economy of Cultural Heritage—Possibility to Create a New Tourism Product through Adaptive Reuse," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-12, March.
    12. Marco Acri & Saša Dobričić & Maja Debevec, 2021. "Regenerating the Historic Urban Landscape through Circular Bottom-Up Actions: The Urban Seeding Process in Rijeka," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-29, April.
    13. Lucia Della Spina, 2023. "A Prefeasibility Study for the Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Historical Landscapes as Drivers and Enablers of Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-30, August.

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