Average social and territorial innovation impacts of industrial heritage regeneration

authored by: Federica Scaffidi
Abstract: Cities and fringes are often characterised by neglected heritages that affect the perceived quality of life in the territories, especially when it comes to industrial sites. Some studies suggest that their regeneration with social innovation fosters a greater feeling of belonging to the place, creates new socio-cultural activities and new jobs, and increases ground rent. Does this create territorial innovation? What are the impacts of S.I. and T.I. generated by regeneration? This paper aims to assess the average social and territorial innovation impacts of industrial heritage regeneration in cities and fringes and to test the hypothesis of a correlation between them. A mixed methods approach has been adopted with semi-structured telephonic interviews, data analysis, and comparison. 100 examples of industrial heritage regeneration in Europe, equally located in cities and fringes, were analysed. This research offers a novel theoretical contribution to the international literature, corroborating that social innovation plays a vital role in the territorial innovation of cities and fringes. The results show that the greater the social innovation, the higher the level of territorial innovation. Furthermore, this study confirms that innovation depends on location, new uses and regeneration model. These results contribute to the body of knowledge and open new research opportunities in theories and practice for territorial innovation and industrial heritage urban regeneration with social innovation.
Organisation(s): Territorial Design and Urban Planning
Type: Article
Journal: CITIES
Volume: 148
No. of pages: 23
ISSN: 0264-2751
Publication date: 05.2024
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Development, Sociology and Political Science, Urban Studies, Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.104907 (Access: Closed)