Sustainable strategies for regeneration of rural building heritage

This paper provides an introduction to the aims of the EU Villas project (Interreg IIIB Cadses 2000–2006). It entails the improvement and revitalisation of the aesthetic and economic aspects of architectural heritage by creating an evaluation model and defining a compatible strategic tool for re-use, in keeping with the planning criteria and sustainable policies of the CADSES area (Coccagna M. et al. Recupero e gestione dell’edilizia rurale dell’Emilia-Romagna: progetto Villas, “Paesaggio Urbano”, 2006). The European countries involved in this research project are developing common strategies to preserve and exploit their environmental and building heritage and to implement cultural-tourism activities. Specific tools have been developed in order to assess and valorise the aesthetic and economic aspects of architectural heritage, taking into account each country’s peculiarities (specific problems, users, regulations, etc). Our research group at the University of Ferrara, Department of Architecture, is studying rural buildings in Emilia Romagna that are insufficiently valorised. The preservation of this heritage can be achieved through economic re-use and the definition of integrated strategies ranging from land planning to sustainable refurbishment techniques. These strategies are presented in this paper.