The need for a sustainable urban change

The chapter explores reasons and needs for a sustainable city transformation. A range of studies recently undertook to identify the links between urban transformation activities and preservation of the cultural/heritage vitality. The paradox, however, is how urban change can place urban improvement according to the needs of local people and the benefits of robust urban design to overcome the former. The relationship between each of these objectives is not necessary a contradiction but can be jointly reinforcing at a variety of spatial scales. Obviously, a basic conflict between the preservation of built heritage and the establishment of developable solutions and sustainable development schemes is constantly reveals many contradictions and different ideological/cultural positions. However, what makes a “transformed place work” and what is the role of history in this process would be crucial to deliver sustainable design.