Research database

The European urban legacy built over more one millennium embodies in its spaces a unique and favourable integration of social organisations, productive processes and environments connecting major and minor cities, urban and rural spaces, industrial and postindustrial networks. POLITO's contribution to NEB will therefore focus on one side on the precious lessons of this legacy for the future of our cities and territories - in terms of ecological systems, enabling infrastructures, quality of space, integration of uses, economic potential etc. - on the other side on the future of this fragile legacy in the new millennium, facing complex challenges like depopulation, overexploitation, spatial segregation, functional specialization. The mid-sized European cities are the places where we can trace the roots of our deep identity (including traditions, rituals, relationships, tangible and intangible heritage, etc.). From them it is possible to rediscover and plan a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive living.