Building rehabilitation, sustainable development, and rural settlements: a contribution to the state of the art

Environment, Development and Sustainability https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03664-5 Building rehabilitation, sustainable development, and rural settlements: a contribution to the state of the art Catarina P. Mouraz1 · Tiago Miguel Ferreira2 · J. Mendes Silva3 Received: 9 June 2022 / Accepted: 19 July 2023 © The Author(s) 2023 Abstract The quality of life in rural housing settlements is at the heart of territorial cohesion concerns across Europe and the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. However, the gap between urban and rural developments remains substantial, stressing the need to adopt integrated approaches for rural territories. These approaches should include heritage preservation strategies as a priority. Vernacular constructions integrate rural built heritage and comprise a sustainable response of communities in territories, stressing the pertinence of its rehabilitation. The aim of this paper is to raise awareness of this issue through a scoping review since it lacks general frameworks that may contribute towards perceiving rural territories and their constructions as catalysts of territorial cohesion and sustainable development. As a main goal, we provide insights on sustainable development and its importance in the global and European contexts, as well as the role of building rehabilitation towards its three dimensions—environmental, social, and economic. Additionally, the impact of rural settlements on territorial cohesion and global sustainability is stressed, and vernacular construction is highlighted as a component of rural heritage. Keywords Building rehabilitation · Sustainable development · Vernacular construction · Rural settlements · State-of-the-art review · UN Sustainable Development Goals 1 Background, aim, and objectives Rehabilitation practices have been used throughout time to maintain or improve the performance of constructions. Besides the effect on the characteristics of buildings, these interventions play a role in their inhabitants’ quality of life, along with the development of the area in which they are located. * Catarina P. Mouraz 1 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, Rua Luís Reis Santos, Pólo II, 3030‐788 Coimbra, Portugal 2 College of Arts, Technology and Environment ‑ School of Engineering, University of the West of England - UWE Bristol, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK 3 ADAI, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, Rua Luís Reis Santos, Pólo II, 3030‐788 Coimbra, Portugal 13 Vol.:(0123456789) C. P. Mouraz et al. The importance of people-centred approaches has been gradually brought to the discussion, mainly regarding the definition of global strategies. An example of this is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development developed by the United Nations (United Nations, 2015), which shifted the paradigm regarding sustainability and brought to the discussion the importance of several aspects that had been neglected until then, such as the development of rural areas and their role in achieving fair territorial progress. In the European context, the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) can be stressed as an initiative on this matter. Despite these advances, there are still significant disparities between rural and urban areas, undermining territorial progress and deepening differences between these two realities. Rural territories are experiencing severe out-migration and desertification phenomena (Pola, 2019), which impact their remaining population. Rehabilitation actions towards the improvement of living conditions can have a powerful role in avoiding or reversing this situation. Parallel to these circumstances, vernacular constructions have evolved throughout centuries of experience of local populations. These buildings are shaped by their cultural, environmental, and social practices (Chandel, 2016), embodying broad wisdom and reflecting a sustainable response to the context they are part of (Nguyen, 2019). However, since contemporary buildings are still considered the norm, vernacular heritage has been gradually abandoned and lost, with dramatic consequences in terms of territorial cohesion and global development. The general lack of compliance of these constructions with current legal standards also contributes to this state of affairs. Nevertheless, its adaptability has been proven possible, useful, and cost-effective (Barbero-Barrera et al., 2014; Salvador et al., 2021; Itard et al., 2007), indicating that these buildings deserve careful and qualified rehabilitation actions. 1.1 Objectives The goal of the overview presented in this paper is to raise awareness of the role of building rehabilitation as a vector to sustainable development. Additionally, the critical role of rural settlements for territorial cohesion is stressed, and vernacular construction is highlighted as a crucial component of rural heritage. Studies that link concepts of building rehabilitation, sustainable development, and rural settlements are scarce and do not usually take into consideration the component of vernacular constructions as a vector towards these concerns. To achieve that objective, the European Union’s context regarding sustainable development is first discussed, providing meaningful examples of how this concern was addressed over time. Then, a synthesis of the contribution of building rehabilitation towards sustainable development perspectives (economic, social, and environmental) is presented. Finally, the importance of rural development to territorial cohesion, and the role of vernacular constructions in rural environments, are outlined and highlighted. The research method followed is a scoping review (Grant & Booth, 2009), using secondary data as a primary source of information. 2 European Union and sustainable development Addressing climate change as an international challenge has been conducted throughout several global and European institutions, which have been joining worldwide efforts and establishing measures to achieve a sustainably developed world. The concept of “sustainable development” was first defined in the 1987 Bruntland Commission Report of the United Nations (UN) as “development that meets the needs of the 13 Building rehabilitation, sustainable development, and rural… present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Bruntland, 1987). There are four intertwined and indivisible perspectives on sustainable development: society, culture, environment, and economy. Also, sustainable development is considered the pathway towards achieving sustainability, a long-term goal in which a balance is found between environmental, societal, and economic considerations that ultimately lead to an enhanced quality of life (UNESCO, 2019). Achieving sustainable development has been the overarching challenge of the UN, which has led its action through the years and especially since the publication (...truncated)