Patrimonializzazione e governance dell’eredità post-industriale: politiche, pratiche e narrazioni.

The tangible and intangible legacies of the processes of industrialisation and deindustrialisation of the twentieth century constitute a liminal heritage, often overlooked in processes of recognition, protection, and enhancement, despite its strong historical-cultural relevance and considerable regenerative potential for territories. This contribution critically examines the heritage-making processes that transform decommissioned industrial sites and architectures into cultural assets, assigning them new meanings and new symbolic, social, or economic functions. Assuming that heritage value does not reside solely in the intrinsic qualities of places but is constructed through cultural acknowledgements and social dynamics, the paper investigates governance tools and practices oriented toward a dynamic form of protection capable of combining material persistence, living memories, and universal accessibility. It highlights risks of rhetorical enhancement, instrumentalisation, and “disposable regenerations”, and identifies possible enabling conditions that take into account plural participation in the heritage-making process. Conflict is regarded as a resource because, when framed within solid and clear structures, it can strengthen the resilience of conservation outcomes and reinforce the public and democratic function of industrial heritage.