"Animals" : la trasformazione degli spazi industriali = “Animals” : the transformation of post-industrial spaces

The aim of the study is to understand how new urban processes can transform an abandoned area of the city into an active and dynamic centre, maintaining its industrial character and becoming an interesting example of urban regeneration. Through a comparison of the Battersea Power station conversion project in London and the Castelfield industrial neighbourhood in Manchester, we analyze the tools and results of differing planning operations. These are two "image " projects of the contemporary city, containing very different meanings and intentions. The first case (Battersea power station) concerns a real monument, a building that has taken on and continues to take on iconic meanings; In the second case, of Castelfield, the monument is represented by the entire neighbourhood, a part of the town that is converted without disruption of the site’s urban structure. In the 1980s, the Castelfield site was recognized as the first Urban Heritage Park in England, with the aim of preserving the industrial character of the area, through both restoration works and new operations responding to the district’s contemporary needs.