Adaptive reuse is essential for heritage buildings, including those in old industrial areas. The implementation of urban regeneration projects can make a real difference in the vitality and sustainable development of cities. This is all the more important in Romania, where the de-industrialization of the last three decades has been a real social and economic challenge, with industrial areas seeing a large and rapid process of destruction, while the legislative vacuum has led to irreparable losses of industrial architecture._x000D_
This study aims to analyze the use of industrial heritage and its role as an engine of urban revitalization, using the city of Iasi as a case study. The research is based on official statistical data from 1912-2022, supplemented by qualitative data extracted from field investigations, press information, and the use of images from Google Earth._x000D_
The results highlighted the predominant use of former industrial areas for real estate purposes, without concern to preserve buildings with real architectural value. However, there are also some successful examples, in which former factories dating back more than 100 years have been rehabilitated and integrated into the urban landscape._x000D_
The conclusions are generally valid for many cities in Eastern Europe: industrial architectural heritage must be used by creating new functional cores with a catalytic role, as the rehabilitation of these spaces contributes to redefining cultural identity and bringing back the sense of belonging to the inhabitants. In this regard, we hypothesize that in Romania (with a few notable exceptions) and especially in the city of Iasi there is not a clear trend of preserving the urban industrial heritage, but rather a fast and profitable capitalization from a financial point of view. The existence of a quality public space leads to an increase in the quality of life and to the creation of sustainable communities.

Marinela ISTRATE, Lucian ROȘU
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Romania

 
ID Abstract: 45