Unlike museum exhibitions, being organised and structured, archaeological sites enable visitors to associate more freely with the physical environment, often of outstanding natural beauty. Presently, mobile and augmented-reality based applications for archaeological guided tours give priority to visual information, limiting the possible references to the ways the site is associated to its natural surroundings. This book presents InterArch, a design research project based on digital representation, supporting Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR, AR) technology. This pilot digital application, developed for the archaeological site of Ancient Messene in Greece to be implemented for visitors on site, is suitable even for other archaeological sites and cultural environments.

How should designers respond to urban uncertainty? How can we ensure our urban heritage is protected against urban risks and climate change? How can we create places that increase urban quality, socialisation, equity and opportunities for change minimising environmental damages? This volume addresses current trends and challenges, that explore on how we transform our urban heritage in ways which increase urban resilience embracing innovation and technology. Part one provides a critical view in driving forward a new conception of urban transformation that should respond to current concerns around economic, social and urban change. Part two underscores the importance of the current perception of urban and architectural design that can take into consideration climate change.

Approaches to urban waterfront conservation have been much debated in recent decades. Early schemes focused on leisure and commercial exploitation, more recently greater attention has been paid to environmental and ecological conditions, historic preservation and human well-being. But how do we balance these competing interests and yet ensure sustainable change, preserve identity and yet allow for new development? And how do we involve local people? This book aims to provide some answers to these important questions. The book is divided into three parts: Part One is an overview for regeneration and awareness of historic waterfronts. Part Two argues for the sustainable reuse of important sites to preserve their special identity. Part Three shows the importance of introducing young researchers to the complexities of designing waterfronts for sustainable lifestyles.

Which open spaces and combinations of green-blue infrastructure provide optimum wellbeing benefits? How we do ensure these benefits are available to all? Can we reduce health and well-being inequalities through sensible design? The volume focuses on specific studies in urban design, environmental psychology and public health combining ‘green’ spaces with ‘green-blue’ infrastructures, active mobility and facilities, showing a series of criteria necessary to ensure that ‘green-blue’ space can work optimally. The book is divided in two parts: Part one goes on to demonstrate how design along waterfronts can contribute to support the well-being of people and encourage urban quality. Part two identifies design concepts for health and well-being in urban spaces.

The volume deals with the recovery and enhancement of minor centers, especially under today’s pandemic crisis, when a spontaneous movement from larger cities towards neighboring occurs. These small towns are a great resource of the Mediterranean Cultural Heritage, tangible and intangible, that must be safeguarded and re-evaluated. This volume collects the essays of the members of the Mediterranean CIVVIH Sub-committee presented within the 2021 Webinar, as a comparison between different minor contexts throughout the EU countries around the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Basin. Promoting participation in new urban models seems to be a good opportunity for the revival of the abandoned villages.

This book debates on transformation of urban spaces considering heritage value, diversity and sustainability issues. It explains complexity and methodology to re-think and re-vitalise urban spaces in sensitive urban environments. Teamwork scientific findings explore evolving ways of innovative urban space transformation in different European contexts. In the first part it examines the reading and designing of historic environment in terms of character, attractiveness, functionality and sustainability of public space and its re-definition for urban quality, wellbeing and social cohesion. In the second part it presents issues on placemaking within sustainable design. In the third part it develops a dynamic transformative process in designing urban vitality of waterfronts, essential for everyday life.

This volume is dealing with climate change and the new trends to reduce urban risks in historic cities. How we cope with urban changes in historic cities? To respond significantly to the current scenarios, sustainable and resilient planning and design must lead positively to these changes. At the same time, protection, and revitalization of ′Urban Heritage′ of outstanding value should be emphasized on properly climate change adaptation methods. To link Urban Greening with Urban Design and to help maximize not only the aesthetic of the Historic City but also the functionality and quality of an urban space, Urban Green Infrastructure must be considered to support both long-term and short-term sustainability and environmental resilience goals as well.

This book explores potentialities and emerging issues to strategies and waterside planning and design, developing research results and detailed cases of interest in response to city change, to promote sustainable development in a variety of ways. It seeks to include some key waterfront matters in linking new spatial patterns to social dynamics and climate change, for future practice. The book is structuring into two parts: The first one – ‘Advancing Riverfront Transformation’ – examines proposals on urban waterfronts and relations between urban spaces and social dynamics to revitalise and re-appropriate urban environment with sustainable design solutions. The second one – ‘Outlining Blue-Green Opportunities’ – develops proposals on waterfront urban spaces and places with promotion of sociability and enjoyment, integrating cultural and economic values, health and wellbeing.