Urban identity and built environment: searching for the contribution of urban planning

Abstract

This article aims to relate urban identity and its individual components to urban planning practices and interventions in the urban fabric through examples of urban areas around the world. The term “urban identity”, has become particularly popular the last years, and has been used in bibliography more like “place attachment”. Every city has a unique identity, which becomes perceptual through images and memories whether they are positive or negative. For that reason, central idea in the theoretical framework of identity is that of uniqueness. Whereas, also important are the concept of continuity, meaning and experience. At the same time, urban identity could be defined as “place identity”,” place image”, “place character”, “sense of place”, ”spirituality of place”, expressing its distinctiveness. For example, the historical urban centres, play an important role in strengthening place identity, memory and sense of belonging for the entire city. The study of place identity is associated with the interventions that take place in the urban fabric, whether are single urban interventions into points of interests (e.g. reconfiguration of urban public spaces), or for the implementation of integrated policies and tools in urban planning.