**5. Results and Discussion**

The preliminary section of the survey concerned the introduction about the object and aim of the questionnaire and respondents' data. Then, some questions about the context of both projects were asked.

Most of the respondents perceived a positive improvement in the state of conservation of buildings and urban spaces in Ortigia in the last 20 years (58.3% "good", 16.7% excellent). Only 8.3% of them considered it as "poor" (Figure 8). Furthermore, the results show a clear positive perception about the contribution of the two adaptive reuse interventions to the improvement of the area in the last 20 years (91.7% of respondents) (Figure 8).

Among these interventions, the Ancient Market project was the one most frequently reported for the benefits produced (75% of respondents). Other projects mentioned were: Bellomo Museum and the rehabilitation of the nearby square, the Faculty of Architecture, recovery of "Porta Marina", Maniace Castle, Bottari Courtyard, rehabilitation of residential buildings, the convent of the "Ritiro", the reuse of some historic buildings as tourist accommodation, the paving of Piazza Duomo, Via Minerva, Piazza XXV Luglio and Corso Umberto. None of the interviewees recognized the reuse project of the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle as an intervention that has significantly contributed to the improvement of the urban quality of Ortigia. This shows that there is a lack of perception of the positive impacts (if any) of the Basilica adaptive reuse project on the improvement of the area, in contrast to the Ancient Market project whose benefits were perceived by almost all the respondents.

If on the one hand the interviewees assessed on average positively both the selected reuse projects in relation to the investments made, on the other hand, there were significant differences in the assessment of the capacity to trigger new investments in building and urban rehabilitation. In fact, 50% of interviewed experts declared as "good" and 8.3% as "excellent" the capacity of the Ancient Market reuse project in contributing to generating new investments, while in the case of the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle the negative percentage was higher (41.7% declared it as "scarce") (Figure 9). The benefits of the project, as mentioned above, were not limited to the building itself, but also to the context: a reuse project can become an engine capable of triggering further investments that can contribute to the development and regeneration of the area. The new investments undertaken in relation to a reuse project are significant in terms of its attractiveness.

At what level do you think that the state of conservation of buildings and urban spaces in Ortigia has improved over the last 20 years?

In your opinion, are there any interventions for the reuse of cultural heritage already carried out that have contributed to the improvement of the area in the last 20 years?

**Figure 8.** Results of the survey.

How do you consider the benefits produced by the implementation of the reuse project compared to the investment made?

**Figure 9.** *Cont*.

To what extent the implementation of the reuse project has triggered further investments (public and/or private) in building or urban renewal projects in Ortigia?

To what extent the implementation of the reuse project has contributed to reduce the crime rate in the area?

**Figure 9.** Results of the survey.

Moreover, the respondents expressed a different opinion about the two projects in terms of their effectiveness in reducing the crime rate in the area: 33.3% of the respondents considered the impact of the reuse of the Ancient Market to be "good" and 8.3% to be "excellent" for this aspect, whereas 25% considered the impact of the reuse of the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle to be "poor" (Figure 9). The safety perception can be affected by an adaptive reuse project and it is an important indicator of the wellbeing category [54] linking the project not only to the transformation of the space, but also to the human capital.

The sample of respondents deemed significant the change of use of the area as a consequence of the reuse of the Ancient Market (25% "good", 25% "excellent"), while in relation to the reuse of the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle only a low percentage expressed a positive perception (8.3% "excellent", 8.3% "good") (Figure 10). The intended uses of both projects were considered compatible with the characteristics of the buildings. In fact, both the Ancient Market (41.7% "excellent", 25% "good") and the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle (33.3% "excellent", 50% "good") reached a great consensus (Figure 10). So, there was a positive perception of the adaptive reuse projects with respect to the objectives of protecting the materic-constructive and morphological-dimensional characteristics (identified by De Medici as criteria for evaluating projects for reuse [55]).

At what level do you consider that there has been a change in the vocation of use of the area after the reuse project?

To what extent do you consider that the intended use is compatible with the building?

To what extent do you consider that the intended use chosen for the reuse project is adequate to meet needs of the area?

**Figure 10.** Results of the survey.

The new functions play a key role in adaptive reuse projects as they should meet and satisfy the need of our ever-changing society and, at the same time, not to compromise the possibility of future generations to enjoy the resource. The new intended use of the Ancient Market was considered adequate for satisfying the local community needs (16.7% "excellent", 50% "good"). Concerning the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle, the number of positive answers was lower (8.3% "excellent", 41.7% "good") (Figure 10). Indeed, 60% and 40% of the respondents would have chosen the same new intended use respectively for the Ancient Market and the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle. Other respondents proposed to enrich the Ancient Market with the retail of typical products or to consider a new function such as a municipal library. Concerning the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle, it was proposed to integrate the chosen function with that of museum for the exhibition of religious collections, preserved in the Curia.

Overall, the reuse project of the Ancient Market was assessed to be almost as successful (41.7% "good", 8.3% "excellent") by the sample interviewed, while the project of the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle was considered successful by only 30% (Figure 11). The answers that considered the success of such projects to be "scarce" were equal to 16.7% for the first and 25% for the second.

The panel of experts recognized in both projects a high capacity to conserve the cultural value of the building (Ancient Market: 50% "excellent", 33.3% "good"; Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle: 75% "excellent", 16.7% "good") (Figure 11). Furthermore, after the two interventions both the buildings remained almost recognizable, preserving their identity (Ancient Market: 75% "excellent", 16.7% "good"; Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle: 83.3% "excellent", 8.3% "good") (Figure 11). The questions of the survey concerning the perception of the recognizability of the buildings after the interventions and the ability to preserve the cultural value were related to the protection of the perceptual-cultural characteristics. Therefore, these results refer to the recognizability of the transformations (understood as the possibility of clearly distinguishing the new elements from pre-existence), acceptability of the transformations (understood as the ability to ensure that changes in the intended use and interventions upon the existing ones are admissible for the client and for the direct, indirect and potential users of the building) and respect for the collective memory (understood as the ability to ensure that the transformations do not alter the recognizability of the asset as an element representative of the identity of social groups, which attribute specific symbolic values to it) [55]. In fact, as mentioned in the previous paragraphs, the reuse project should, first of all, ensure the preservation of the intrinsic value of the building (representing the "limit in managing change" [5]), its identity and recognizability and ensure its enjoyment by future generations.

In both case studies analysed, as highlighted by the survey, some issues could be improved to enhance the success of the interventions. Among these, the need to increase the activities carried out in the buildings (in terms of type and duration) was a priority, guaranteeing continuity of use and balancing underutilisation characterising the two buildings today (in particular the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle). Moreover, as underlined by the interviewees, the management of both buildings represented a weakness to be faced through maintenance and improvement of accessibility. The long-term success of a reuse project depends not only on the project itself, but also on a number of factors linked to its functioning and use. Therefore, it does not end with the project, but covers the entire life cycle of the "transformed" building, including aspects related, for example, to management and maintenance which, if not properly implemented, can produce negative impacts.

At what level do you think that the reuse project has contributed to preserving the cultural value of the building?

**Figure 11.** *Cont*.

At what level do you think that the building is still recognisable in its original features after the reuse project

**Figure 11.** Results of the survey.

## **6. Conclusions**

The global scientific community and the main international institutions recognise the role of cities and their cultural heritage for the sustainability of our future. Abandoned or under-used buildings are both a threat to urban quality [56] and a resource for triggering local development processes [54,57]. According to the circular economy model, adaptive reuse complies with sustainable management strategies for urban regeneration, as it helps to reduce the consumption of soil and resources that would be needed to construct new buildings.

The research discussed in the present paper investigates the impacts of adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, in terms of preserving the identity of cultural heritage, protecting its intrinsic values, and enhancing, at the same time, the development dynamics of the urban area in which the reuse project is implemented [58]. In particular, previous studies by the authors identify indicators able to describe the impacts of conservation, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse on heritage buildings and the urban context [54,55]. These research studies have represented the starting point to verify the following specific aspect of building reuse: how much a new function in an urban area can change its quality and trigger new value chains. The indicators selected allow verifying the compatibility of the project transformations in terms of safeguarding a building's identity, by preserving its shape, its construction systems, its materials, and above all the relationship between the building and the urban context. This investigation has been made possible by choosing two case studies which allow many of the variables involved in the adaptive reuse projects, such as the urban context, the design approach, the implementation date, the client, and the public/private use to be kept constant.

The results highlight that the choice of a new function for an abandoned building should be based on the attraction power of the building to its users, as well as on a prolonged and continuous attractiveness, both during the day and over the years. An unsuccessful reuse in terms of power of attraction condemns the building to a new abandonment.

As an additional validation of the outcome of the comparison between the two selected case studies, we can compare the impacts of the projects of the Ancient Market and the Basilica of St. Peter the Apostle with the effects of the settlement of the Faculty of Architecture on the island of Ortigia, in the same years. As shown by De Medici, Riganti and Viola [51], the Faculty of Architecture in Ortigia is an exceptional example because the university moved into old buildings without adapting them with a reuse project in the old town centre of Siracusa. Nevertheless, the establishment of academic research and teaching activities has significantly changed the dynamics of development of the area, triggering a virtuous process "based on knowledge sharing and resources' protection that promoted processes of social engagement and institutional empowerment for both new residents and entrepreneurs" [51] (p. 1).

Therefore, a reuse project does not necessarily have positive impacts on the abandoned building and its context. The quality of the reuse intervention depends both on the quality of the architectural project and on the adequacy of the new intended use both in relation to the building itself and to the urban context in which it is located. It has to be able, in a circular perspective, to satisfy the needs of the community, keep the building "alive" (use value) and, at the same time, preserve its intrinsic value.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, S.D.M., P.D.T. and F.N.; Methodology, S.D.M., P.D.T. and F.N.; Formal Analysis, S.D.M. and F.N.; Investigation, S.D.M. and P.D.T.; Data Curation, S.D.M. and F.N.; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, S.D.M., P.D.T. and F.N.; Writing—Review and Editing, S.D.M., P.D.T. and F.N. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.

### **References**


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