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

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. The model 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. This is a challenge that entails the necessity to calibrate interventions in a delicate balance between renewal and memory, innovation and tradition. This paper, presents the SmartPolis© project, launched by the CNR's Istituto per le Tecnologie Applicate ai Beni Culturali, to develop integrated models to favour the adaptation and rebirth of historical centres, open to an inclusive and inter-cultural dimension of the city. 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. The case study, in cooperation with the Peking University, concerns the historical village of Cuandixia, about 90 km from Beijing. The research proceeds through an inventory of the urban landscape, qualities to be preserved, analysis of the vulnerability of social-economic pressures to indicate an urban strategy with the priorities for their conservation and a sustainable development.