Bridging Social Impact and Lifecycle Approaches for Sustainable Urban Regeneration: An Exploratory Case Study in Italy

This study explores how integrating social impact assessment (SIA) with lifecycle thinking can enhance urban regeneration outcomes by managing diverse stakeholder interests. A case study of a factory redevelopment in Tuscany, Italy, applies a novel analytical framework to map social, economic, and environmental value across project phases, examining patterns in outcome creation and stakeholder influence. The study advances impact assessment with an integrated framework capturing complex social value dynamics and enhancing social sustainability in urban interventions. The findings show that distinct value creation patterns and shifting stakeholder influence emerge across the project lifecycle. Proactive SIA application in early phases can reconcile divergent perspectives to maintain momentum. SIA integration with lifecycle assessment allows comprehensive understanding of value form interactions. The findings provide a structured approach for practitioners to anticipate conflicts, optimise value creation, and embed social sustainability across regeneration lifecycles. Integrated SIA adoption can improve urban intervention design and delivery. This approach enables effective stakeholder engagement promoting equitable benefit distribution, mitigating adverse impacts, and enhancing community resilience and well-being.