Cultural Landscape and Local Identity for a Sustainable Urban Development: The Italian Historical Heritage.

Abstract At the beginning of the XXI century, we are all focusing our attention on innovative approches and best practices for the future of urban development. The complexity of the “urban matter” can be explained according to the principle of the sustainable development. During the latest years this concept seems to be inflated, but it still remains the only course to follow in order to reach and maintain a dynamic equilibrium between economic, environmental, and social dimensions of urban development. When culture and nature are jointly considered, conservation and development strategies of the local systems may better conform to the principle of sustainability. The landscape must be considered an area where places have acquired their identity because of the presence of factors that have brought about some cement. In this conceptual framework, each landscape represents a unique reality. Moreover, identity feelings locally determine a sentimental attachment to landscape and cultural values of the territory and improve a general attitude towards the preservation and the promotion of such values. A strong territorial identity favours the growth of sustainable development models, because the sustainable development is based on the promotion of local specificities. These principles are especially important when we are talking about European historical cities, where problems and their political and practical solutions must be appropriate. In this context we aim to examine how, in Italy, we are trying to apply the principles of sustainability, according with the strong presence of a complex historical and cultural heritage and a contemporaneus generalized suburban sprawl. Keywords: Urban sustainability, green cities, cultural landscape, local identity, European historical cities, new urbanism, small towns