Innovative management of rural buildings

Purpose – This study forms part of a larger project funded by Cariplo Foundation. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the scope to exploit the full potential and upgrade the functions of abandoned or under-utilized typical highland Alpine pasture systems (made by a complex of grazing fields, buildings for temporal animal and human recovery and dairy production, identified as Malga system or Alpeggio), by adopting the property investor’s point of view. Design/methodology/approach – This study has adapted the traditional property development processes to rural buildings, thus generating an analysis model that proves able to define a new destination of use whenever the project considers the reuse of existing facilities. Findings – The proposed model analyzes the technological, functional and territory features of the building to be upgraded, to assess the technical feasibility of the changeover project and identify the highest and best use of Malga-systems. The model has been applied to all the Malga-systems in the Orobie Bergamasche Park; it performed a comprehensive assessment of the development potential of the Malga-systems in the same Park. Research limitations/implications – The design of the model took into consideration the specificities of the Orobie Bergamasche Park; nevertheless, the method can be taken as an example to be applied to any grazing land in the Alps. Originality/value – This research provides the real estate market with a new analysis tool that is specific for the rural buildings, and suitable to streamline the procedures designed to upgrade these properties and to infuse new life into the territories that are experiencing a period of hardship and/or decay.