Study and Research Between Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Goals for the Built Environment in Transition

Dear Colleagues,

The processes of transformation and adaptation of the built environment are still far from achieving the goals of Agenda 2030 and many other international documents (Agenda 2030, New Urban Agenda, European Green Deal, NextGeneration EU, European New Bauhaus, etc.). The challenge lies mainly in the integration of technologies in areas with strong cultural and landscape identities. Cultural heritage as a tangible testimony to the history of local communities should be enhanced to meet the performance requirements of sustainability. Today, the contemporary challenges in the field of sustainability are based on the demands of social welfare and climatic impact mitigation, as well as cultural heritage preservation. Aiming to achieve more sustainable development, cultural heritage represents a privileged area for the implementation of actions directed at supporting the transition to a human-centered approach. These transition processes, from interaction to adaptation, are related to systemic approaches in the social and environmental paradigm. Acting in this direction means proposing appropriate methods and tools to intervene in both the physical environment and the intangible identity of places. The latter is often perceived as a set of values enfolded in the historical memory of the built environment.

With the transformative nature of any place, the concept of identity can be enriched over time with new meanings and perceptions in the changing context. Transformations in the built environment should consider the possibility of empowering the sense of belonging derived from cultural identity and increasing individual and collective responsibility. Building a shared identity is one of the essential goals for a sustainable future in which transformation and integration choices can be considered acceptable.
In this scenario, the Special Issue “Study and Research between Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Goals for the built environment in transition” aims to involve multidisciplinary experts in an open discussion on rebalancing innovation and conservation choices in the built environment.

Based on the above, contributions from the scientific community are welcome on holistic approaches able to accompany the narrative of cultural heritage without denying the identity of places undergoing transformation. The suggested issues refer to the following:

• Sustainable redevelopment of the Historic Urban Landscape;
• Innovative and circular regeneration models;
• Innovative and human-centered tools for the built environment rehabilitation;
• Life cycle extension approach for building reuse and maintenance;
• Green transition approach in the cultural heritage;
• Best practices of adaptive reuse of cultural heritage;
• The appropriateness of technological integration into the built environment;
• Technological advancements to mitigate vulnerabilities of urban settlement system and cultural heritage.

The above topics are merely suggestions and they are not binding. Other proposals addressing the above topic from different perspectives are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Maria Rita Pinto
Prof. Dr. Stefania de Medici
Dr. Francesca Ciampa
Guest Editors

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• built environment regeneration
• adaptive reuse
• building and urban maintenance
• cultural heritage enhancement
• circular redevelopment strategies
• creative and human-centered approach
• green transition
• technological integration
• vulnerabilities of urban settlement system