Title

Author(s)

Cecilia Sundström

Affiliation

KTH – Royal Institute of Technology

DOI

https://doi.org/10.65686/CTAV4837

Keywords

Sustainability, Urban Development, Framing

PP

896-902

How to Cite

Sundström, Cecilia. “Changing values Motivations for Adaptive Reuse in Urban Development.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 896–902. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.

Abstract

On what grounds are some buildings deemed valuable to retain while others are demolished? With an accelerating climate crisis and the significant environmental impact of the construction industry, there is reason to question whether new buildings are needed or if we should make do with what we already have. An adaptive reuse first approach would significantly alter our relationship to heritage, expanding its meaning beyond monumentality to include ordinary spaces of memory. This text looks at retention of the mundane, more recent and perhaps overlooked layers of history—our future heritage. Drawing on sociology and valuation studies, it considers adaptive reuse in light of sustainability considerations to examine actors’ motivations for choosing adaptive reuse before demolition in urban development. Through a qualitative analysis of a central Stockholm development project, this paper seeks to make a wider claim about preconditions for adaptive reuse, suggesting changing geopolitical conditions can change value attribution in favour of retention. Ultimately, it argues for the potential of crises to challenge conventional practice, opening the possibility of new valuations that could significantly alter our relationship to heritage in urban development, recognising and including all its layers.

Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai

Publisher
STH Press, Firenze

ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263

Year
2026

Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.