The adaptive reuse of cultural heritage has been recognized as a driver of the circular economy. It stimulates economic growth, boosts its inherent values, and reduces material usage and energy consumption. It can be regarded unviable due to financial constraints, limitations in regulatory frameworks and lack of engagement in decision-making. To tackle these challenges, this study aims to examine the drivers and related policy instruments that support adaptive reuse practices, and to analyze the usefulness and feasibility of a set of multi-level policy enablers at varying local contexts. In this context, we first conducted a semi-systematic review of academic and gray literature and identified 19 driving factors and associated policy documents. These instruments were concentrated on administrative, regulatory and financial tools. This analysis led to the identification of policy enablers that can be adopted at three levels: European, national and local. An online survey was then conducted to investigate how a variety of local stakeholders in the selected case cities and region evaluate the adaptability of these enablers in their individual cases. The findings show that all the assessed enablers are deemed useful and feasible to a certain extent with higher score of usefulness, confirming the adaptability of these instruments into the circular economy framework. These evidence-based results can inform future policies at multiple-levels that will accelerate and scale up circular actions through heritage adaptive reuse.
| Original language | English |
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| Article number | 2479 |
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| Number of pages | 25 |
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| Journal | Sustainability |
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| Volume | 13 |
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| Issue number | 5 |
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| DOIs | |
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| Publication status | Published - 25 Feb 2021 |
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The EU provides funding to support research and innovation on heritage‐related projects through programmes such as Horizon2020 and Horizon Europe. the European Regional Devel‐ opment Fund, European Structural and Invest‐ ment Funds and the Cohesion Fund also provide support in the transition towards circular econ‐ omy, and to promote economic and social cohe‐ sion across Europe.
As another European financial resource, Euro‐ pean Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development may also provide financial support.
Funding: This research was funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 Project ID: 776758, CLIC ‐ Circular models Leveraging Investments in Cultural heritage Adaptive Reuse.
also facilitate the involvement of small or medium‐size enterprises or third sector in these partnerships [76]. Abastante et. al. (2020) explain that the relationship with local authori‐ ties may vary from cooperative to hostile, and emphasize that collaborative stakeholder engagement tools that promote mutual support and cooperation can facilitate the adap‐ tive reuse process [50]. At local administrative level, land use is recognized as a key policy instrument. Land use regulations meet demands from housing, transportation, energy, tourism and eco‐ nomic development sectors, and thus have direct influence on housing and energy deci‐ sions, culture and tourism management, as well as transportation and mobility planning. This is why a number of scholars have mentioned land use plans as the right policy in‐ strument to promote legislative, environmental and cultural drivers: Vecchio and Arku (2020), for instance, indicate that former industrial lands can be re‐deployed to address urban development targets in acknowledgement of industrial decline and economic tran‐ sition [60]. Numerous scholars highlight that urban‐focused land use policies and culture‐ led regeneration strategies can play a significant role in this transition [61,76]. In culture‐ led regeneration projects, for example, creative and vibrant industries can play a vital role in co‐creation and co‐design processes, as well organization of creative, cultural, and in‐ novative activities in these spaces [77–79]. Looking into the gray literature, it is observed that both kinds of literature comple‐ ment each other. Extraction of themes and policy‐related priorities from multiple types of sources that are shaped by different agendas and approaches contribute to a more up‐to‐ date and robust listing of policy enablers. The academic literature is still new to the inte‐ gration of adaptive reuse of cultural heritage into the wider urban development and cir‐ cular economy frameworks [9]. Going beyond the limited scope of culture and heritage‐ related policy fields, the gray literature also embraces a wider context that brings together culture, energy, well‐being, sustainable environment and urban‐related focus. The recent policy documents and reports also take into account spill‐over effects from the outset, which generates more effective outcomes for circular economy with long‐term benefits [80]. Particularly in EU programmes, policies and funding mechanisms, the focus on adaptive reuse extends beyond the culture and heritage sectors, and we see a more holistic approach towards integration within the energy and circular economy frameworks. The EU has been one of the most active players in the transition towards zero carbon emissions by 2050, and in mainstreaming of the circular economy into the European policy agendas. The 2015 EU Circular Economy Action Plan stresses the EUʹs commitment [81]. In a recent European policy recommendation adopted by the Architects’ Council of Europe, adaptive reuse is acknowledged as a value‐oriented approach based on maintenance and reuse of existing resources that contributes both to the protection of built heritage and energy effi‐ ciency in support of circularity [13]. The European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage derived from the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 further defines five main pillars and clusters of actions, in which adaptive reuse is highlighted under the clus‐ ter for sustainable Europe [82]. In the wider cross‐regional context, the Urban Agenda for the EU Pact of Amsterdam has also incorporated adaptive reuse into its key focus areas in order to support heritage‐ focused urban development since 2019 [83]. In terms of financial instruments, the EU Co‐ hesion Policy has been developed to tackle regional inequalities through a number of funding mechanisms. Among them, the European Regional Development Fund particu‐ larly focuses on “preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource ef‐ ficiency”, which encourages and accommodated adaptive reuse projects [84]. Although these regional development investments provide more direct funding to adaptive reuse practices, their communication, dissemination and exploitation at local contexts across Europe is still limited [47]. As the gray literature review shows, national policies, programmes and action plans play a significant role in the administration and application of such frameworks and tools
- Adaptive reuse
- Circular economy
- Cultural heritage
- Drivers
- Policy analysis
- Policy enablers
