As the rationalization and modernization process of the Armed Forces after the end of the Cold War, from almost thirty years in Italy they are gradually returning to the community areas and buildings that are no longer useful for the institutional purposes of the Defense. Since the 1990s several factors have been slowing down the process of reconversion of military sites, although in some cases there is a glimmer about the possible re-use. Bottom up urban regeneration initiatives are some of the projects that are being realized, such as Belluno local administration project for the former Piave barracks re-use. In fact, since 2013 an urban strategy has been developed to find a possible alternative to the re-use of the former military complex, a kind of “work in progress” to implement an urban policy with social and economic implications for the city.
This article introduces the topic of military reconversion in Italy and a review of some cases of re-use, and it focus the attention on the analysis of the most significant aspects of the Piave barracks project. It will be highlighting the elements of experimentation and the possibilities of policy transfer related to this initiative, which could be transferred to other contexts with similar criticisms in terms of implementing urban policies based on the reuse of former military assets.
