The student will acquire knowledge in the following fields: - Concepts, policies, and tools for urban heritage conservation at national and international levels. - Analysis and interpretation of the formal and functional features of historic urban areas at various scales; identification and understanding of values and critical aspects of a given urban context. - Managing historical sources, interpreting them to identify heritage and potential assets, and linking the interpretation of historic values to heritage assessment. - Interpreting and applying regulatory and operational frameworks for urban heritage conservation at various scales. - Problem-solving and envisioning future scenarios. - Definition of management and governance strategies for the conservation and development of historic urban areas. - Formulation of proposals for the planning and design of historic urban areas. The proposed activities are designed to develop a range of theoretical and practical skills, including: - Analysis, synthesis, and understanding of urban spatial and socio-economic dynamics. - Interpretation and evaluation of historical, cultural, and environmental values. - Reading and interpretation of regulatory and planning tools. - Planning, design, and decision-making. - Representation and communication of urban planning and design choices. – Knowledge and critical understanding of the main theoretical approaches to cultural heritage and historic urban landscapes, with reference to European and international conventions, policy frameworks, and ongoing research and operational projects.

The knowledge and skills that students are expected to have acquired in their previous studies mainly concern: the history of the city and urban planning; territorial governance and the institutional planning system; the analysis and representation of spatial phenomena at the territorial and urban scale. It is assumed that the main contents of the courses delivered in the first semester (MSc in Territorial, Urban, Environmental and Landscape Planning) have been acquired. Knowledge and ability to use GIS for spatial analysis are compulsory.

The two modules of the studio will develop common activities and be jointly assessed. HERITAGE -BASED PLANNING MODULE The course entails lectures and exercises concerning the following thematic areas: A) Conservation Planning: concepts, approaches and experiences in the field of urban heritage conservation at the national and international level, including the HUL approach in the heritage sector; B) Heritage knowledge: recognition of the multiple heritage values in historic urban areas within their territorial, cultural, and landscape context; C) Protecting/Regulating heritage: knowledge and understanding of the planning framework for heritage conservation in historic urban areas and the involvement of different stakeholders; D) Planning and designing from a heritage-led development perspective: managing change by setting up a heritage-based strategic plan; proposals for governance, management, planning and design in historic urban areas. Each thematic area integrates lectures and related analytical, research, and design exercises, which progressively build the expected learning outcomes. Lectures and study visits constitute approximately one-third of the course, while the remaining time is devoted to supervision, review, and tutoring of the exercises and final delivery. URBAN AND LANDSCAPE HERITAGE MODULE This module is structured around three main areas: A) Theoretical Foundations and International Frameworks for Cultural Heritage This section introduces the core concepts and foundational documents that define urban and landscape heritage. It traces the evolution of this debate at both national and international levels, with particular reference to the frameworks and charters established by supranational bodies and institutions. B) Historical Interpretation and Analysis of Urban and Landscape Heritage This topic focuses on documentary sources and historical analysis as foundational tools for heritage-based planning. It covers various analytical approaches (structural, morphological, and historical) for understanding historic settlements. Students will apply these approaches at multiple scales, from the broader landscape and territorial relationships down to the micro-urban level. Emphasis will be placed on methods for interpreting historical and documentary sources relevant for heritage-based planning. C) Case Study Application. In this practical component, students will apply the aforementioned analytical techniques to a specific case study. The work will involve both descriptive and cartographic analysis. Key outcomes will include a compilation of relevant historical sources and the production of analytical maps (cartography). This will culminate in a multi-scale interpretation of the historic city, applying the methodologies discussed throughout the module. Each thematic topics integrates lectures and related exercises, which progressively build the expected learning outcomes. Lectures and study visits constitute approximately one-third of the course, while the remaining time is devoted to exercise supervision, review, and tutoring.

The course is divided into ex-cathedra lessons (20%), and fieldwork, exercises, reviews, and guided visits (80%). Seminar discussions with external speakers are also planned, in order to provide direct interaction with international approaches and practices. The main exercise simulates a HERITAGE-BASED PLANNING process for a historic urban area and its landscape context, structured around the three thematic areas mentioned above: knowledge, protection/regulation, and planning. The main exercise simulates an URBAN AND LANDSCAPE HERITAGE study of a historic urban area and its landscape context, structured around the three thematic areas mentioned above – namely, analysis, synthesis, and the combined understanding and interpretation – as these apply to its historical and cultural heritage. The study area is thus the place where students are expected to apply the concepts and methodologies presented in the theoretical lectures. Besides some exercises aimed at learning specific disciplinary methodologies, most of the activities will integrate the two disciplines involved in the course, resulting in an integrated project concerning the case study. To this aim, teachers will work in close collaboration. A detailed outline of the expected outcomes will be provided at the beginning of the course. The exercise will be carried out by groups of students. Collaboration among groups is strongly encouraged, as well as the sharing of knowledge and dialogue among them.

Bibliographic references will be progressively specified during the course. The basic study material (both for lectures and exercises) will be provided through the course web portal. The introductory bibliography is the following: Appleyard, Donald. (1979). The Conservation of European Cities. MIT Press. Bandarin, F., & Van Oers, R. (2012). The historic urban landscape: Managing heritage in an urban century. Wiley Blackwell. Bandarin, F., & Van Oers, R. (Eds.). (2015). Reconnecting the City: The Historic Urban Landscape Approach and the Future of Urban Heritage. John Wiley & Sons. Bonfantini, B. G., 2012. "Planning the historic centres in ltaly: for a critical outline". In: "Planum. The Journal of Urbanism", October 2012 no. 25, vol. 2/2012 [online] Jokilehto J. 2007. "International charters on urban conservation: some thoughts on the principles expressed in current international doctrine". In "City & Time", 3 (3): 2. [online] Jones, Z. M., & Pappas, T. (2023). Developing an identities-based approach to support more robust resilience and recovery in heritage planning and management. Built Heritage, 7(1), pp. 1–12. DOI: 10.1186/s43238-023-00082-4 Jones, Z.M. (2023). Large-scale urban regeneration threatening historic urban landscapes. The Liverpool Waters development and the loss of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tafter Journal 121. Kalman H., Letourneau M., 2020. "Heritage Planning. Principles and Process", Routledge, London. (main reference text) Lardinois, Sara, Ana Paula Arato Gonçalves, Laura Matarese, and Susan Macdonald, eds. 2015. Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment: An Annotated Bibliography. The Getty Conservation Institute. Luengo A., Rbssler M. (eds.), 2012. "World Heritage Cultural Landscapes, Ayuntamiento de Elche" - Unesco. [online] Ripp, M., Gustafsson, C., Jones, Z.M., Majumdar, S., Ginzarly, M. (2025). Historic Urban Landscapes and Heritage Systems as the basis for sustainable urban development. Land, 14, 1-22, DOI: 10.3390/land14091783. Siravo F., 2011, "Conservation Planning. The road less travelled". In: "Conservation Perspectives. The GCI Newsletter", n. 26/2011, pp. 4-9. [online]. Smith, L. (2006). Uses of heritage. Routledge. UNESCO, 2011. "Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape", Paris. UNESCO, 2013. "The historic urban landscape approach explained" [online]. UNESCO, 2016. "Culture, Urban, Future. Global report on culture for sustainable urban development", Paris [online] UNESCO, 2016. "The HUL Guidebook. Managing heritage in dynamic and constantly changing urban environments", UNESCO. [online] Veldpaus L., Pereira Roders A.R., Colenbrander B.J. F., 2013, "Urban Heritage Putting the past into the Future". In "The Historic Environment. Policy & Practice", 4(1).

Lecture slides; Text book; Multimedia materials;

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Group graphic design project; Group project;

Exam: Compulsory oraI exam; Group graphic design project; Group essay Regular attendance is essential for successfully engaging in and benefiting from the planned course activities. Interaction with teachers and active participation in classwork form the basis for both ongoing and final assessment. As part of the study area exercise, students are expected to produce one intermediate assignment for the HERITAGE-BASED PLANNING module: an analytical framework based on a case-study investigation of key themes will support the strategic-design and planning framework for the selected site in Piedmont. For the URBAN AND LANDSCAPE HERITAGE module, students are expected to produce two or three specific assignments designed to analyse the complex systems characterising the territory through the use and interpretation of historical sources. These assignments require students to study the territory and urban area from a historical perspective, applying various scales of analysis (primarily spatial and urban), exploring diverse themes, through the application of different historical and interpretive tools. The final evaluation will assess the acquisition of the knowledge, competencies, and skills outlined in the Expected Learning Outcomes. Each group of students will present their exercise outcomes in both oral and written form, as well as with graphic outputs, engaging in a collective discussion and receiving comments from teachers and classmates. This feedback does not contribute to the final evaluation but is intended to help students reflect critically on their work and revise it if necessary. The exam consists of an oral presentation (approximately 30 minutes). Specifically, students are required to submit a dossier (including texts, cartography, and other graphics materials) and two posters, which must correctly reference the topics covered during lectures. The dossier must include the re-elaboration and synthesis of all work carried out during the course across both modules (e.g., knowledge framework, regulatory framework, strategic/design proposal, historical analysis, bibliographical references, references to online sources, legislative and administrative references). Students will generally take the examination in groups; individual examinations may be required if deemed necessary by the teachers. The final evaluation is individual and will be based on assessments of four different aspects, each contributing equally to the final mark. These aspects are: a) Group work developed during the semester (various assignments, exercise, activities and intermediate outputs), individual assignments and intermediate assessment activities; b) The final heritage-based planning project together with the historical and interpretive analyses supporting it (drawings, posters, and final report); c) Theoretical and methodological skills acquired (oral assessment); d) Ability to analyze and interpret the complexity of historical phenomena and systems at both territorial and urban scales (oral assessment). The two modules, HERITAGE-BASED PLANNING and URBAN AND LANDSCAPE HERITAGE, contribute to the final evaluation in proportion to their respective credit weights. In addition to the assessed outcomes, attendance, commitment and engagement, teamwork skills, and communication abilities may also contribute to the final grade. The teachers will assign a group grade for point b) (the final project), while points a), c), and d) will be assessed on an individual basis.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.