Conservation and Regeneration for a Sustainable and Circular City

Abstract

Conservation and regeneration approaches on existing buildings are the result of a system of attributes and values recognized by the human culture, which results in a framework of rules and practices that differ in different contexts. In the contemporary condition marked by the paradigm of sustainability, conservation planning is required to face the challenges of climate change, through the promotion of circular development and social inclusion, as well as the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity. The circular economy, which is based on the principles of recovery, recycling, reuse and sharing, in line with the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda, offers the opportunity to rethink development models, in urban areas and beyond. Within this framework, the study proposes a systematization of the literature review which classifies taxonomies of values and methods to assess sustainability and circularity in urban planning and design at different urban scales. The proposed conceptual scheme is the first step for the definition of a new system of values of the existing building stock, which prove to be fundamental to guide urban transformations in the Green New Deal.