Sustainable Urban Design and Energy Efficiency Strategies to Regenerate the Italian Inner Area. The REACT Workshop Experience

Despite significant challenges to their survival, villages in marginal areas serve as vital reserves of biological and cultural diversity. These regions nurture deep connections between people and the environment, shaped by centuries of co-evolution. In the context of ecological and pandemic crises, these villages present unique opportunities for innovative development models that prioritise sustainability and resilience and focus on human-environment harmony. In Italy, Inner Areas face challenges such as depopulation and socio-economic vulnerabilities but are rich in cultural and natural heritage, offering fertile ground for community-centred initiatives. The REACT research project, funded by NextGenerationEU and the Italian National Research Programme, adopts an interdisciplinary approach to revitalising the Casentino Valley through cultural landscapes. This approach integrates settlements, natural systems and community practices into a comprehensive vision for sustainable development, emphasising the active participation of local communities. This paper presents the outcomes of an interdisciplinary workshop held between July and November 2023 involving four departments at the University of Florence (Architecture, Economics, Education and Industrial Engineering). The workshop was designed to develop innovative regeneration strategies for historical villages and rural territories within the Casentino region, focusing on sustainable urban design and energy efficiency technologies. The workshop combined lectures, on-site fieldwork and stakeholder engagement, emphasising the integration of interdisciplinary perspectives. Three key projects emerged: Cub.Labora is a modular mobile unit supporting local commerce; L’Elica del Pratomagno is a climate education hub in a repurposed building; and Trans+Humus is a trail integrating cultural heritage with ecological exploration. These initiatives demonstrate the potential of flexible, participatory and community-driven approaches to addressing depopulation and promoting sustainable territorial development. By focusing on public spaces and landscape infrastructures, the outcomes contribute to the social, environmental and economic revitalisation of the Casentino area, offering replicable models for rural regeneration.