Rethinking cultural heritage in placemaking: From preservation to regenerative development in Castel Campo

Contemporary placemaking increasingly focuses on managing bio-regional and participatory processes that integrate cultural landscapes, human-nature relationships, ecological health, and lived experiences, while remaining open to external influences and creative reinterpretation of place. Cultural heritage plays a key role in contemporary placemaking, moving beyond static preservation toward dynamic, future-oriented place regeneration. This shift is particularly relevant in peripheral areas, where placemaking must navigate challenges but also holds potential for alternative, place-based development models. The chapter explores the role of cultural heritage in placemaking through the Castel Campo case study, a historic, family-run, and women-led estate in Trentino, Italy. The study highlights how a hybrid business model grounded in respect for time, place, and community enabled regenerative development by integrating living heritage, regenerative agriculture, and social care. It illustrates how cultural heritage management can bridge historical continuity and contemporary experimentation to support innovative and inclusive forms of placemaking.