Montagne in Movimento: Cultural entrepreneurship as a catalyst for neo-population in Gagliano Aterno, Italy

This paper examines culture-led peripheral development through the case of Montagne in Movimento (MiM), an innovative project in Gagliano Aterno, a small mountain village in Central Italy. Within the context of growing urban-rural interdependencies and the global post-pandemic spatial reorganization, this research contributes to emerging theories of peripheral revitalization by identifying transferable mechanisms that catalyze sustainable neopopulation processes. Employing a participatory action research approach combined with the System-Wide Cultural Districts framework, we analyze how strategic cultural interventions have catalyzed sustainable neopopulation processes in this demographically declining rural area. Through initiatives including the NEO residency program, participatory governance innovations, and cultural infrastructure development, MiM has transformed socioeconomic dynamics, increasing population by approximately 10% and establishing seven new enterprises within three years. Our findings challenge conventional center-periphery development models by demonstrating how peripheral areas can function as laboratories for sustainable innovations with implications for territorial rebalancing at multiple scales. The project's distinctive methodology emphasizes deep contextual engagement, symbolic narrative transformation, and capability building over conventional infrastructure-focused approaches. This case illustrates how post-pandemic competitive advantages of peripheral areas, including affordability, environmental quality, social connection, and attention quality, can be strategically deployed through cultural activation. The study provides relevant insights for policy development addressing urban-rural relationships in diverse contexts, offering transferable principles for a territorial planning that values peripheral areas not as problems calling for solutions but as strategic resources for sustainable regional development. • Gagliano Aterno achieved 10% population growth in three years through cultural activation. • Embedded participatory research proved more effective than conventional approaches. • Cultural interventions addressed demographic, economic, governance and social challenges. • The methodology successfully scaled from one village to a ten-municipality territorial union. • Peripheral areas' competitive advantages may challenge urban-centric development models.