Towards Participatory, Dynamic, Co-evolutionary Evaluation for Circular Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Heritage: The Experimentation of Salerno Circular City of Health

Adaptive reuse describes the process of giving “new life to old buildings” through new uses and functions compatible with the existing building/site. This process can be implemented in cultural heritage sites that have lost their functionality for many reasons, and lay in a state of abandonment or underuse. The recovery of the rich cultural heritage in abandonment, from religious heritage buildings not used anymore in today’s society, to ancient fortifications, civic buildings, lighthouses, commercial sites, can be a leverage for the regeneration of urban areas and rural landscapes, enhancing the attractiveness of cities and regions. Moreover, as discussed in this volume, the functional reuse of cultural heritage can be an opportunity to recover unused resources implementing the principles of the circular economy: reuse, recovery, refurbishing, restoration, regeneration. Sustainable and circular adaptive reuse of cultural heritage should focus on ecosystems regeneration, social and cultural regeneration, and economic benefits for communities. Attention to the formation of “heritage communities” caring for cultural heritage and contributing to its maintenance and conservation, a careful knowledge of the urban and territorial system on which the assets insist, the sustainable valorisation of the intangible heritage as a tool for understanding the tangible one, represent tools that can reasonably orient the transformation processes in line with a virtuous operational practice. The aim of this chapter is to present the CLIC dynamic and co-evolutionary evaluation methodology for participatory circular adaptive reuse of cultural heritage. The methodology was applied in Salerno, Italy to support the adaptive reuse of four large historic buildings in a state of abandonment