Reinterpreting Cultural Landscape for the Regeneration of Marginal Territories: The REACT Research Experience in Italy

Marginal territories facing socioeconomic decline, demographic contraction, and progressive abandonment require integrated and human-centered approaches capable of linking cultural heritage, local identity, and sustainable development. This article examines cultural landscape as a resource for regenerating such territories and interprets it as a generative ecosystem: a relational, dynamic, and evolving system capable of connecting tangible and intangible heritage, local actors, and capacities for change. The study presents the REACT research project, conducted in the Casentino pilot area in Tuscany, Italy. Conceived as people-centered collaborative research, REACT combined interdisciplinary investigation, territorial and case-study analysis, and community engagement within a methodological approach designed for transferability. The research developed a five-level Framework whose application in Casentino produced Guidelines comprising 36 Strategies and 165 Actions, while its generalization led to a Strategic Guide for adaptation to other marginal contexts. The findings show how cultural landscape can link territorial interpretation with collaborative strategy development, strengthening epistemic, territorial, and collaborative integration. They also suggest that shared cultural identity can support community engagement and collective responsibility for territorial transformation. The REACT Framework provides an open and adaptable approach for place-based sustainable regeneration grounded in heritage resources, identity, and community capacities.