Greenway Florence is characterised by the successful coordination of research bodies, the Municipality of Florence, private stakeholders, and heritage institutions, which have formalised an inter-institutional partnership in order to manage, maintain and promote the project. The partners involved include “Firenze Greenway” Association, Fondazione Parchi Monumentali Bardini e Peyron, HeRe Lab - Heritage Research, the Municipality of Florence (Tourism Department, Directorate for Economic Activities and Tourism, Directorate of Culture and Sport, Department and Directorate of the Environment, ‘Florence World Heritage and relations with UNESCO’ Office), Fondazione CR Firenze, and the Uffizi Gallery.

The concept of urban countryside is becoming pivotal in recent years as a way to overcome the traditional dualism between city and countryside, encouraging holistic approaches. The creation of itineraries connecting urban green areas, the Historic Centre of Florence and the Medici Villas constitutes a successful approach to experience urban centres in a sustainable way and connect Core and Buffer Zone of the two World Heritage sites. The ‘urban countryside’ has become a solution to address the need for more green spaces within cities, while at the same time placing the well-being of visitors at its core.    

All the initiatives of HeRe_Lab follow the objectives and targets of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, as well as the strategic principles of the World Heritage Convention.

The collaboration between researchers and practitioners, as well as their direct involvement in activities and projects, has resulted in a tight synergy between heritage research and practice. Heritage researchers working at the Lab address practical challenges and needs through studies that guide and improve the sustainability of strategies and management systems. Some of the analyses carried out in the framework of the WH property ‘Historic Centre of Florence’ include the identification of Belvedere points and creation of the site’s buffer zone; the publication of the management plan and monitoring strategy; the study on the carrying capacity of the historic centre; the inventory of at-risk buildings that contribute to the OUV of the site; the creation of a protocol for the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the site; the performance of studies for a comprehensive understanding of the intangible and religious heritage; and the preparatory study of a portal on the urban evolution of the city. These data have become practical and valuable tools employed in everyday heritage management practices.

By providing job and research opportunities, the HeRe Lab plays a key role in empowering emerging heritage professionals and researchers in Italy. The Lab supports emerging professionals in working long-term within the World Heritage field, a working area that is still unstructured and underdeveloped in Italy. This makes HeRe Lab a pioneering example in the country.

Emerging professionals and researchers are involved in relevant  research projects and they are directly contributing to: drafting of Management Plans of World Heritage properties located in Tuscany; Heritage Impact Assessments; museums-related activities; international conferences and projects, as well as a wide range of activities directly related to heritage research and practice.

The success of HeRe Lab lies in its multidisciplinary team, made up of professionals dealing with a wide variety of fields such as World Heritage, urban planning, architecture, art history, development, and economics.. The University of Florence acts as a catalyst for their involvement, through the participation of different faculties in the Lab and in the use of holistic approaches for the creation of sustainable solutions for challenges affecting the historic centre. The Lab has also played an important role in advocating for sustainable strategies in the development of the city, by taking into account urban green spaces, social inclusivity, tangible and intangible heritage protection, economic growth, sustainable tourism, as well as the requalification and enhancement of architectural elements.

The shared governance established in the HeRe Lab has ensured the creation of systemic synergies between municipal authorities and research institutions, in which the Head of the ‘Florence World Heritage and relations with UNESCO’ Office of the Municipality of Florence and the Dean of the Department of Architecture at the University of Florence act as scientific coordinators. This partnership has created an innovative model in which heritage research and practice are intertwined and the research produced responds to those practical challenges arising from the field.