Representation for the revitalization of brownfields: a comparison between Italian and Polish experience

The brownfield are among the most remarkable reminders of the history of cities, having passed from thriving centers of economic and social activities to a sometime very bleak state of dereliction. Nowadays there is a strong debate on the methodology to redirect the heritage preserved by these sites in terms of tradition, materials and environmental sources to new functions. The paper aims to explore this issue from the viewpoint of representation, combining the different experience of two districts, one situated in Upper Silesia (southern Poland) deeply characterized by a heavy coal mining industry and steelworks, the other located in Lazio (central Italy) where several paper factories were established in the past century.