TRANSFORMATIVE URBAN LANDSCAPE AND ITS HERITAGE: A LESSON FROM THE BICOCCA AREA IN MILAN

Urbanisation is causing changes in the scale of the urban landscape and interfering with its heritage dimension. Due to cultural differences and site-specific characteristics, formal recommendations in this area often do not offer an operational approach. We propose a values-based approach to heritage management that delves into the essence of heritage by individually and cross-cuttingly extracting a place's tangible and intangible attributes linked to its values and identifying lost heritage. The representation of heritage and its values can be manifested through spatial symbolism, historiographical activities and social ties. We test the application of such an approach and tool using the example of the transformation of the Bicocca post-industrial area in Milan. In this case, we discovered that the historical memory of a place can be preserved despite spatial transformation. Transformation can catalyse a new identity, which gradually becomes established over time. This research contributes to a better understanding of addressing sensitive landscapes susceptible to urban development pressures.