The THEMA tool to support heritage-based development strategies for marginal areas

Abstract

The ongoing forced reflection on the leading urbanization models' crisis has led to greater attention to marginal areas. In Italy, the scientific and media debate has focused on inner areas that, since 2014, have represented the target of an innovative national cohesion policy aimed at tackling their shrinking dynamics: the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI). Indeed, Italian inner areas are endowed with extraordinary natural capital and settlement models far from urban density. Thus, they seem to respond perfectly to the new raised living needs. However, leaving aside the optimistic rhetoric, strong political and administrative choices are necessary to trigger a `return process' based on this broader attention toward inner areas, thus countering humankind's natural tendency to concentrate on urban realities. In this light, the paper proposes a tool to support SNAI in designing and implementing heritage-based local development strategies to address inner areas' real needs. After a critical reading of the new challenges for planning posed by the pandemic and SNAI's role within them, the contribution moves to frame the THEMA (Tool for Heritage-based Enhancement of Marginal Areas) tool, focusing on specificities of the inner areas as cultural heritage. Finally, the tool's application to a case study, an inner area in Campania Region, allows to outline and discuss its possible benefits for SNAI implementation and its limits.

The Collective Domains in the Ecological Transition: A Preliminary Analysis in an Inner Area in the Campania Region, Italy

“…Although there is no comprehensive quantitative estimate yet, the two images in Figure 1 show how inner areas are distributed along the entire Apennine ridge and in the Alps, that is, "the mountainous areas of our country, where precisely civic uses have been preserved to a greater extent" [45]. The following paragraph analyzes collective domains in the Campania region in the framework of inner areas [47][48][49]. It starts with a survey process of their surfaces and then delves into a specific field of observation: the inner area of Matese Casertano.…”

“…Instead, where productivity is modest (forest soils, marginal pastures) and socioeconomic development is good, civic uses have been maintained over time. The following paragraph analyzes collective domains in the Campania region in the framework of inner areas [47][48][49]. It starts with a survey process of their surfaces and then delves into a specific field of observation: the inner area of Matese Casertano.…”

Territorial marginality: causes, methods and policies.

“…We explore the conditions that cause or define marginality, the dimensions that should structure a definition, suitable quantitative and qualitative indicators to classify marginal territories, and the features of territorial policies and strategies to address them. The papers explore different meanings of marginality using diverse research methods: quantitative approaches address the use of cultural heritage, population ageing, the lack of infrastructures and the limitations of existing policy approaches (Rossitti, Torrieri 2022, Vecchio 2022, Orellana Ossandón et al 2023, Kercuku et al 2023; mixed-method approaches combine statistical indicators with qualitative methods to explore landscape features and workspaces in marginal areas (Flipo et al 2022, Porreca et al 2023; finally, qualitative approaches analyse causes and impact of marginality in everyday life (Vendemmia, Lanza 2022).…”

“…The works analyse geographical and territorial contexts, including European and South-American countries. Rossitti, Torrieri (2022) and Vendemmia, Lanza (2022) investigate marginality in Italian inner areas, looking at two different Apennine contexts: Campania region in the South and Emilia Romagna in the North of the country; instead, Kercuku et al (2023) focus on in-between territories, that is, those areas that are not considered either traditionally marginal or central. Flipo et al (2022) provide an analysis of marginal territories in France.…”