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Creative reuse driving revitalization in a post-industrial town

Kyrö, Riikka LU and Lundgren, Rebecka LU (2022) ATUT 2022 Making (A)mends Symposium
Abstract
Repurposing former industrial sites to creative uses (so-called 'creative reuse') contributes to both cultural heritage and environmental sustainability, as it maintains the existing building stock. Creative reuse may also have positive impacts on the site surroundings. This study explores the prerequisites, functioning, and consequences of creative reuse in a small post-industrial town in Sweden. We engage in a qualitative case study method, with interviews, observation, photographs, and written documents as our data sources. The studied case is a former ceramics factory adapted for creative and collaborative use. We find that the case has a restorative effect on the local town and its inhabitants through tourism activities and street... (More)
Repurposing former industrial sites to creative uses (so-called 'creative reuse') contributes to both cultural heritage and environmental sustainability, as it maintains the existing building stock. Creative reuse may also have positive impacts on the site surroundings. This study explores the prerequisites, functioning, and consequences of creative reuse in a small post-industrial town in Sweden. We engage in a qualitative case study method, with interviews, observation, photographs, and written documents as our data sources. The studied case is a former ceramics factory adapted for creative and collaborative use. We find that the case has a restorative effect on the local town and its inhabitants through tourism activities and street art. Furthermore, the case employs immigrants and other individuals with difficulty entering the job market, creating an inclusive community. Finally, the focal actors have a strong do-it-yourself attitude, and wish to nurture a sense of ownership of the space. The users are taught to do minor repair and renovations themselves, instead of procuring professional facility services. The findings can act as inspiration for public officials and real estate developers in post-industrial towns struggling with vacant spaces. Meanwhile, end-users from the creative industries could apply the learnings also in other types of collaborative spaces. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
published
subject
conference name
ATUT 2022 Making (A)mends Symposium
conference location
Tampere, Finland
conference dates
2022-10-20 - 2022-10-21
project
SHare Optimize REimagine (SHORE) - reframing circular economy for the real estate and construction industry
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4bebc80e-b912-4de5-9132-559942ae14fe
date added to LUP
2022-10-27 10:48:39
date last changed
2022-10-31 11:29:41
@misc{4bebc80e-b912-4de5-9132-559942ae14fe,
  abstract     = {{Repurposing former industrial sites to creative uses (so-called 'creative reuse') contributes to both cultural heritage and environmental sustainability, as it maintains the existing building stock. Creative reuse may also have positive impacts on the site surroundings. This study explores the prerequisites, functioning, and consequences of creative reuse in a small post-industrial town in Sweden. We engage in a qualitative case study method, with interviews, observation, photographs, and written documents as our data sources. The studied case is a former ceramics factory adapted for creative and collaborative use. We find that the case has a restorative effect on the local town and its inhabitants through tourism activities and street art. Furthermore, the case employs immigrants and other individuals with difficulty entering the job market, creating an inclusive community. Finally, the focal actors have a strong do-it-yourself attitude, and wish to nurture a sense of ownership of the space. The users are taught to do minor repair and renovations themselves, instead of procuring professional facility services. The findings can act as inspiration for public officials and real estate developers in post-industrial towns struggling with vacant spaces. Meanwhile, end-users from the creative industries could apply the learnings also in other types of collaborative spaces.}},
  author       = {{Kyrö, Riikka and Lundgren, Rebecka}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  title        = {{Creative reuse driving revitalization in a post-industrial town}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}