Is it possible to energise the reuse of urban abandoned spaces with low financial capital investment? Addressing this question requires a normative and cultural change, where the rules are less focused on the material processes of producing space and more aimed at fostering the construction of relationships.

The reality of several European cities shows how traditional forms of stimulating urban renewal – with respect to the financing of operations, how to design and build, and urban planning legislation – no longer work. This book examines an alternative culture of design and regulation, drawing on the richness of the various approaches to the subject to present an integrated study of the phenomenon of reuse across its economic, architectural and urban dimensions. From this theoretical base, it empirically analyses six Italian case studies in terms of the broadness of geography and in their governance models, and of the important role of the unity of cultural destination for their reuse proposal.

The book is intended for all those involved in the cultural challenge of reusing urban abandoned spaces, including public administrators, entrepreneurs, architects, planners and academics.