Vertical Mobility: a multi-faceted Tool for enhancing Architectural Heritage

Vertical mobility plays a key role in the accessibility of architectural heritage: an ex- traneous requisite, but indispensable for enhancing the built heritage in an inclusive way. In this framework, in the light of their multiple technological features, mechanical devices will be discussed, taking into account the interaction with the users (individuals and community). Urban and architectural design in the historical context is very often confronted with vertical mobility, in the relationships between fragmented spaces and the perceptive processes of the user. The mechanical devices can be read at the same time as technological products and as iconic moments of the narrative sequence of different urban areas. A focus will be placed on the social relevance of vertical mobility, with reference to the theme of the healthy city. The paper will report several results from an interdisciplinary research opportunity, stemming from MOVE AGED, a project funded by Interreg Espana-Portugal EU Program, specifically devoted to the specific needs of elderly people in the historical parts of urban settlements. The paper proposes architectural heritage as a thought-provoking, trans-disciplinary ap- plication field. In fact, the user’s experience and technological innovation have become indispensable terms of reference in the activities of knowing, conserving and enhancing; over the last decades topics such as social inclusion, participation processes and commu- nity involvement have entered the domain of architectural heritage.