Action-research for the territorial development of the Casentino Valley

Title REACT | Regenerating the cultural landscapes of inner areas with a people-centred perspective. Historical villages and rural territories of Casentino as a laboratory of creativity and innovation

Location Casentino, Tuscany, Italy

Duration February 2024 – December 2024

Partners University of Florence; DIDA – Department of Architecture, DISEI – Department of Economics and Management, FORLILPSI – Department of Education, Languages, Literature, Interculture and Psychology, DIEF – Department of Industrial Engineering)

Funding Next Generation EU, Ministry of University and Research, University of Florence

 

Context

The villages and rural territories in the inner areas of our country, despite facing challenges that threaten their very survival, often serve as reservoirs of biological and cultural diversity. In a period marked by critical re-evaluation of the ecological and social sustainability of contemporary development models, these villages and rural territories offer promising opportunities for pioneering innovative development approaches. These approaches emphasize the centrality of human interaction with environmental components.

The REACT project addresses the topic of inner areas through a strongly interdisciplinary framework, integrating various dimensions of the issue under the unifying concept of the cultural landscape. This comprehensive perspective encompasses settlements and architectural heritage, cultivated landscapes and natural systems, as well as community practices and experiences. The project focuses specifically on the cultural landscape of Tuscany’s Casentino Valley, selected for its rich architectural and landscape heritage, significant agro-biodiversity, and well-established network of community and social structures. The Casentino Cultural Landscape will serve as an incubator for ideas, enabling the experimentation and assessment of strategies and actions designed to benefit inhabitants—including citizens, local economic actors, and tourists—and to enhance the overall sustainability of the area.

 

General Objective

Drawing on the social, heritage and human resources of the Casentino Valley, the research aims the research aims to define strategies and actions to generate territorial development processes that are ecologically and environmentally compatible, socially inclusive, economically sustainable and based on the active and conscious participation of the local communities. The research seeks to integrate public policies with grassroots community initiatives through close collaboration with local stakeholders. Its aim is to propose strategies, methodologies, and operational interventions that reimagine cultural landscapes in inner areas as incubators of innovative ideas. This effort aspires to revitalize the local economy by leveraging the region’s natural, cultural, and human resources, thereby addressing depopulation and attracting new inhabitants.

Through the Casentino case study, the REACT project examines inner areas as complex ecosystems comprising local economies, cultural heritage, and human and social capital. The research aims to develop a theoretical and practical model of general applicability, extending its relevance to other inner areas beyond the specific context of the Casentino Valley.

 

What we did

As part of the REACT research, ARCO facilitated the organisation, management, and moderation of analytical workshops within the research group. These workshops aimed to mediate between the perspectives of various disciplinary teams, fostering an interdisciplinary synthesis of the analyses conducted on the Casentino context.

Additionally, ARCO coordinated and moderated a series of participatory meetings with the local community, including institutions, organisations, associations, producers, entrepreneurs, and citizens. These meetings were designed to validate the findings of the research and collaboratively develop development strategies. Depending on the objectives and participants of each session, methodologies such as focus groups and world cafés were employed to ensure meaningful engagement and productive discussions.

 

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