Rigenera
Cooperativa Sociale Immaginaria
Italy
The Rigenera project aims to the creation of a community workshop for upcycling within the premises of Borghetto, a community hub in the village of Pastene (south Italy), recently opened as outcome of a regeneration process led by Immaginaria. In the workshop, waste materials collected in Pastene will morph into new creations. Through crafts labs, an online campaign, the creation of a quality brand and public events, Rigenera promotes the intergenerational transfer of expertise and strengthens participation, paving the way for a sustainable process of circular economy on the local scale.
The Borghetto community hub was opened in January 2026 in Pastene, rural village facing depopulation and economic depression, after a 1-year participatory process of regeneration of an abandoned house.
The Rigenera project involves transforming the basement at Borghetto into a permanent makerspace, open to the community even after the project phase.
In the makerspace, using tools, materials and items collected locally, the participants – young volunteers of Immaginaria and interested local citizens of any age – will co-design and create new objects with practical value and aesthetic beauty.
The creative process will be horizontal and community-based: local elderly artisans will be involved to share their competencies with the participants, thus promoting intergenerational transmission of traditional know-how.
The objects created will be presented in community fairs, so purchasing one of them will contribute to the development of a sustainable circular economy, key for the socio-cultural revitalisation of the area.
Finally, a dedicated website and a collective Borghetto brand will showcase the objects, telling the story of the community journey that brought them into being.