Modern and industrial: the new abandonment. The case of the canavese area

The Canavese area of the Piedmont Region is an example of an intermediate inland area in which marginality and a need for rebalancing were already emerging in the 1950s, generating an innovative plan for manufacturing, social, and educational hubs. The crisis of the economic and community model linked to Olivetti – the driving force behind the plan – in the 1980s led to a process of deindustrialization and further decline. The inclusion of “Ivrea Industrial City of the XX Century” in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (2018) was an important international opportunity to ensure recognition of industrial heritage and landscapes and the most strategic initiative to the practicalities of conservation and compatible regeneration of the entire territory. The future is closely linked to how well these places will be able to reflect the value of the Olivettian industrial past and community, in terms of territorial branding and imprinting for sustainable innovation. This paper aims to outline the industrial heritage developed between the 1950s and the 1970s and the factors behind the technical and economic feasibility of reuse regarding its role in local development, a recognition of architectural and testimonial value, technological/construction/architectural innovation, and current decay conditions. The goal is to overcome the traditionally opposite theme of the study of industrial history and a recycling of the past, in which disused industrial buildings cease to be seen as liabilities and become sought-after assets with great potential for redevelopment.