Chronocity. The Scale of Sustainable Change

To explore all factors of urban change in European cities it is necessary to understand how, politically and physically, is possible to tentatively reach positive scenarios for sustainable urban transformation. An understanding of the built environment and its evolution over time can better allow to respond to what is needed for designing a sustainable environment. Sustainability de_nition for urban change seems to be positive in relation to some key issues as: common intentions/ different themes/scale of intervention/heritage value/time-space-building. In thinking around these issues one should consider to give some answers and long-term solutions in sustainable planning and design. To learn afterwards how to design the transforming city with sustainability, considering heritage values, governmental and regulatory rules of site, depends more on designers' ethics rather on speci_c user's needs. Consequently, the sustainable change concerning urban development and regeneration should be based on: - An appraisal of tangible and intangible heritage values - A conscious reading of the physical transformation of sites and buildings through time - The conservation of historic pattern of urban areas and the maintenance of historic buildings - The well planned and integrated new development into the existing area and to the natural environment - The delivery of eco-sustainable design.
This book is about to understand essential aspects of sustainable urban change, and especially investigates on the current quality of built environment of the transforming city. The book is divided into four parts in order to offer the reader source of information on urban change and lessons to be learnt from various contexts and experiences throughout Europe. It is an introductive contribution to contemporary city transformation but can stimulate the debate and re_ects the exchange of evolving ideas and experiences among academics of different European contexts. Throughout, the selection of material presented here the following chapters seek to identify urban transformation as context, chronos, culture value, scale, typology of intervention. Dimitra Babalis is Senior Lecturer and Joint Professor in Town Planning and Urban Design at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Florence, and an Architect-Engineer. She is currently the LLP/Erasmus Coordinator for the Building Engineering Degree Course and Coordinator and Chair of Erasmus Intensive Programmes. She is Visiting Professor in various European Universities. Her research interests and funded European and Italian projects have moved from eco-sustainable planning and urban design, urban regeneration and development to innovative urban strategies and forms of interventions. Multi-disciplinary inquiry into the sustainability, regeneration and evaluation of industrial heritage, re-development and re-use of industrial buildings and sites, Innovative policies and strategies to urban transformation, concepts and principles of sustainable urban transformation. She is author of a number of scientic publications on national and international reviews and proceedings books, of chapters in books and the editor of the books: Bioclimatic Design & Urban Regeneration for Sustainable Development (2003), Ecological Design for an Effective Urban Regeneration (2004), Ecopolis. Sustainable Planning and Design Principles (2005), Ecopolis. Revealing and Enhancing Sustainable Design (2006), Ecopolis.Conceptualising and Defining Sustainable Design (2007). She is author of the book, URBAN DESIGN, The Ecological Thinking. A Compendium (2008).

This Series seeks to present some new conceptions concerning the today's and future cities role in supporting sustainable communities. The Series will discuss the latest issues in planning, designing and building a better future achieving sustainability through urban and architecture design. CITIES, DESIGN&SUSTAINABILITY Series, is attempting to better understand some factors and principles which should stimulate everyone and condition a range of choices about the future of urban life. It will address issues on new ways of managing our cities and responding to the key current matters of urban change. The need to bring new values to the regeneration and development of urban areas has long been accepted. However, the unrecognized management of natural resources and ecological issues occurring in cities can be for urban designers and architects an alternative basis for urban and architectural design. The making of real sustainable cities has to be considered as a cultural issue concerning the reconciliation between community living, urban environment and nature. The discussion on how to create a sustainable future should be directed towards implementing the sustainable city.
The Series Editor: Dimitra Babalis

Dimitra Babalis is Senior Lecturer in Town Planning and Urban Design at the Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Florence, and an Architect-Engineer. She teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate level and she is developing her research and teaching experience across Italy, Greece and the United Kingdom. She is involved in a number of research projects on eco-sustainable town planning and urban design, urban design and multi-disciplinary inquiry into sustainability, urban renewal, urban regeneration and re-development, innovative urban strategies and forms of interventions to urban transformation and is the author of a number of scientific publications on national and international reviews and proceedings books, of chapters in books. She is the editor of the books: Bioclimatic Design & Urban Regeneration for Sustainable Development (2003), Ecological Design for an Effective Urban Regeneration (2004), ECOPOLIS. Sustainable Planning and Design Principles (2005), ECOPOLIS. Revealing and Enhancing Sustainable Design (2006), ECOPOLIS. Conceptualising and Defining Sustainable Design (2007); . URBAN DESIGN: The Ecological Thinking - A compendium (2008).