Restart Oliena – Innesti Urbani 2016-2024.

This contribution presents an ongoing experimental participatory design activity aimed at exploring the regeneration of the historic village of Oliena in Sardinia, which suffered from depopulation and abandonment due to economic and social changes tightened by its territorial features. The activity was implemented through a reiterative design-driven process based on multidisciplinary, research-by-design, and community co-design approach. The research team guided the five annual event editions, involving young researchers from worldwide and collaborating with local associations, institutions, and experts. These contents stimulated community storytelling and narrative-building, increasing a sense of cultural identity, helping envision future urban regeneration scenarios, and going beyond the village borders to activate mutual connections with the territorial assets. The new awareness encouraged the establishment of the Oliena Centro Association and led to the reassignment of use and value to abandoned buildings.