Towards a circular governance for the adaptive reuse of cultural heritage

The adaptive reuse of abandoned cultural heritage assets can be seen as a regenerative process, which turns “wastescapes” into attractive places. Processes of urban transformation implemented by citizens represent cultural practices in which individuals are producers, and not only consumers, of cultural meanings. The renewed relationship between people and places through coordinated collective action becomes particularly relevant in the adaptive reuse of cultural heritage. This paper aims to investigate how “circular governance” can be interpreted and implemented in urban regeneration strategies aimed at “human-centred” circular development. Through case studies examples, the role of citizens-led initiatives in cultural heritage adaptive reuse is explored to identify common elements useful to draft a definition of circular governance and provide guidelines for policy makers.