Building the Commons? Feasibility and effectiveness in the shared management of the built heritage

Several EU programmes propose an approach based on citizen participation for the protection and management of cultural heritage. Heritage buildings are perceived as a strategic resource with shared values recognised by the community and capable of contributing to socio-economic development. The perspective of cultural heritage as a common good leads to the outlining of new models of rehabilitation and shared management, for the care of abandoned buildings and urban public spaces in historical contexts, with reduced costs for public finance. The definition of strategies and roles of stakeholders (local administration, enterprises, citizens and third sector) in the implementation of enhancement processes for the built environment is based on the principle of horizontal subsidiarity. This leads to the following questions: can unused buildings and urban spaces really give back a voice to citizens for the use and transformation of their living environment? Under which conditions can the collaboration between active citizens and local authorities work in the care and management of heritage buildings? The research presented in this book aims to answer these questions, learning from the successful and unsuccessful experiences of participatory management of cultural heritage in Europe, to define a methodology for assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of participatory management programmes. Through the analysis of good practices identified in the European context, the book aims to define criteria and conditions required for feasible and effective participatory management of cultural heritage. The case studies examined contribute to the definition of a set of key issues to assess alternative management scenarios, focused on the enhancement of tangible and intangible heritage. The proposed assessment tool promotes the progressive growth of values belonging to all members of the community, through the creation, protection, and shared management of cultural heritage. Indeed, effective shared enhancement strategies can increase the quality of the built environment, promote social cohesion and be powerful activators for urban regeneration processes. Quality control of reuse, redevelopment and maintenance of the built heritage is essential to activate processes of public use and co-management, aimed at fostering inclusive community policies and consolidating the links between citizens and the built environment.