Vernacular Heritage and Urban Transformation: Cultural Identity, Morphology, and Policy Pathways for Contemporary Cities

Rapid urbanization and contemporary development pressures are reshaping cities worldwide, often challenging the continuity of vernacular heritage, traditional architectural knowledge, and culturally rooted urban identities. While heritage has historically been treated as a domain of preservation, it is increasingly recognized as an active urban resource; one that informs sustainable development, socio-spatial resilience, and place-based planning.This Research Topic aims to provide a theoretically grounded and internationally relevant platform for examining the intersection between vernacular heritage and urban transformation. It will explore how traditional built environments, cultural landscapes, and inherited spatial logics can contribute to contemporary urbanism through adaptive strategies, governance frameworks, and design integration.The Research Topic welcomes interdisciplinary contributions that bridge architectural heritage studies, urban morphology, socio-cultural theory, and planning policy, highlighting both conceptual advances and applied pathways for implementation.This Research Topic welcomes contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:• Advance conceptual and critical debates on heritage as a driver of urban futures• Provide practice-oriented insights for planners, designers, and policymakers• Showcase international perspectives on managing tradition within rapid transformation• Strengthen the role of vernacular architecture in sustainable and culturally grounded urban development• Theoretical frameworks for vernacular heritage within contemporary urbanism• Urban morphology and inherited spatial structures in transforming cities• Cultural identity, memory, and place-making in urban development processes• Heritage-led regeneration and adaptive reuse strategies• Architectural heritage documentation and technologies• Integrating traditional architecture into new urban expansions and mega-projects• Policy and governance mechanisms supporting vernacular continuity• Socio-cultural sustainability and resilience through heritage environments• Community participation and intangible heritage in shaping urban space• Comparative international case studies across diverse cultural contexts• Innovative methodologies for documenting and operationalizing vernacular knowledge in planning Topic editors: Mohammed Mashary Alnaim, Emad Noaime, Silvia Mazzetto Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79188/vernacular-heritage-and-urban-transformation-cultural-identity-morphology-and-policy-pathways-for-contemporary-cities