Participated regeneration processes of abandoned places: experimentation in Sardinia (Italy)

In recent decades, the sunset of the historical context, culture and politics has created an extensive real estate – spaces and buildings – which is currently derelict. This scenario was generated by a set of economic and social causes, as well as by the inability of the public administrations to manage and plan the territory. The first part of this article will attempt to highlight the causes of the abandonment of places; currently, on the basis of the urban potential of these areas, it is necessary to reflect on the possibility of an efficient recovery and regeneration as instrument of social programming. Also, it is important to understand how to bring out inhabitant’s design capacity and put it behind the project. In the second part, the chapter will show the results of a research conducted in a vast territory of Sardinia characterized by several abandoned places and buildings, territorial government’s inability and unspoken expectations of the inhabitants. Then, we will attempt to define an operable methodology – based on inhabitant’s suggestions – that should be applied by public administrators to efficiently manage the territory in order to solve its problems. Finally, the article will point out the inhabitants’ capability to design its territory helped by our research group.