Toward the "Smart Polis": methods, tools and strategies of intervention for the sustainable regeneration of historic urban centres.

The issue concerning the renovation of historical centres in Europe and China--albeit with different approaches--no longer entails the conservation aspect alone, but employs respect for tangible and intangible heritage within a process capable of developing guidelines and tools to monitor the contemporary interventions in historical urban contexts. The new international standards for Urban Planning, suggested by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre together with the Historic Urban Landscape approach, introduce new cultural, social and economic urban dynamics, where protection of heritage and urban development are not at odds with each other but are at the heart of a long term vision for the city. This is because the model that should be used to tackle the future of a large part of historical cities is based on planning driven by an advanced technological level, a more nimble management adaptable to the requirements of the future, and at the same time able to make the most of the uniqueness and artistic qualities of its historical heritage. On this front, the opportunities for a smart rebirth of historical cities present a challenge that cannot be ignored. This is a challenge that entails the necessity to calibrate interventions in a delicate balance between renewal and memory, innovation and tradition. Therefore, what paths could be taken to develop integrated models to resolve the social issues on the urban and metropolitan scale; that favour the adaptation and rebirth of historical centres; that could be open to an inclusive and inter-cultural dimension of the city; that would take into account the conservation and enhancement of its widespread cultural heritage? On these subjects, CNR's [Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche: National Council for Research] Istituto per le Tecnologie Applicate ai Beni Culturali [Institute for Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage] launched the SmartPolis© project, a proposal for identifying problems and finding solutions beginning from the very definition of its name, intended as a portal to the complexity of a multi-dimensional society focused on cultural growth, and not simply as a city environment to "preserve". A vision where an historical city--from a place of history--can find new life and implement the transformation of new communities, establish a network of innovation, create cooperation, locate financing and launch start-ups. Two case studies are used to present the application of this approach: one in Italy, the medieval town of Bisaccia in the region of Campania, and the other in China, the historical village of Cuandixia, in the Mentougou District, about 90 km from Beijing. This research project proceeds through an inventory of the urban landscape, an examination of the qualities to be preserved, and the analysis of the vulnerability of social-economic pressures. The result is an urban development strategy that indicates the priorities for their conservation and a sustainable development together with a framework of planned management.