The sustainable regeneration of an industrial area as urban laboratory of circular economy and industrial symbiosis

The industrial symbiosis is a really useful tool model which is widely spreading and validated in Europe. By an integration of different activities, production and resources supply can be reviewed with the aim to extend the cycle of utilization and consumption of natural resources encouraging an efficient eco-design, the reuse and recycling of many residual outputs. Many industrial areas, closely inserted in our urban contexts, can be renovated and refurbished using this innovative symbiotic approach. An added value could be also achieved by the creation of a sort of “urban laboratory” involving all stakeholders, as research centers, local authorities and entrepreneurs, producing a virtuous circle of sustainability. In this issue, an important research pathway has been planned in order to re-thinking an industrial area on the outskirts of the city of Bologna, starting from industrial building energy consumption and supply, waste management and services sharing including a general area’s mobility reassessment. This study shows a possible working method for the first step of the research.