Sustainable management of canal-related industrial built heritage

Canal-related industrial built heritage represents a vital material legacy of the integration between hydraulic engineering and industrial production during early industrialization. As foundational infrastructure enabling economic growth, canals, characterized by low transport costs and high cargo capacity, supported the circulation of raw materials and finished goods, supplied waterpower and process water, and promoted the clustering of industries along canal corridors. This spatial interaction fostered distinctive industrial landscapes that reflected technological and economic progress. With the decline of canal-based industries caused by the transformation of transportation systems and the process of deindustrialization, many canal-side factories, warehouses, and auxiliary structures were abandoned or repurposed. These surviving structures serve as tangible records of industrial advancement and as enduring carriers of cultural memory. However, they now face serious challenges such as structural deterioration, functional obsolescence, and over-commercialization, all of which have weakened their historical and spatial connections to the canal systems. Addressing these problems requires systematic and long-term management strategies. This study reexamines the dynamic relationship between canals and industrial heritage, clarifies their multidimensional values, and explores strategies to balance heritage conservation with sustainable development. Using a mixed-methods framework that combines literature review, historical analysis, comparative case studies, and expert surveys, the research situates canal-related industrial built heritage within the global evolution of industrial heritage. Through a systematic comparison of Italy and China, it identifies a composite value system that includes historical, technological, social, economic, landscape, and aesthetic dimensions, and summarizes eleven universal critical success factors for effective management. Based on these findings, a value-driven, sustainability-oriented, and stakeholder-inclusive strategic management framework is proposed, structured as a closed-loop system of identification, assessment, planning, implementation, and monitoring. The study provides both practical guidance for conservation and adaptive reuse in Italy and China and a transferable model for the sustainable management of complex industrial heritage worldwide.