Heritage valorisation as a means of rural regeneration: the RURITAGE inventory of Lessons Learnt

Purpose: Cultural and natural heritage play a crucial role in the enhancement of sustainable development strategies in rural areas, even though their full potential is still under-explored. Rural areas are currently facing common challenges related to depopulation, unemployment, poverty and ageing, making knowledge and experiences sharing a way to inspire and get insight on how to develop and implement rural regeneration strategies. The purpose of this study is to propose a knowledge framework assessment based on the analysis, documentation and mapping of successful heritage-led practices, to obtain and gather replicable lessons learnt in the form of inventory, to facilitate replicable regeneration strategies. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on good practices implemented by 20 Role Models and analysed in the context of the RURITAGE project, introducing the inventory of Lessons Learnt, a tool aimed at supporting and improving the use of evidence in decision-making processes and facilitating replication. Findings: The multilevel analysis described in this paper allowed to identify 40 Lessons Learnt, which were clustered according to their main area of knowledge and cross-cutting issues, demonstrating and reinforcing the importance of culture and heritage in the sustainable development of rural areas. Originality/value: This paper, through the structured analysis of information provided, contributes to support the decision-making process by improving the use of evidence and knowledge integration.