The identity of the city in motion: the Chinese case

Identity is not a system of fixed values. The city's transformation produces new centers, suggests unexpected relationships between different sides, indicates unusual way of use, renamed places which combine with new identities. This process is accentuated in the contexts in fast transformation that, due to the phenomena of globalization, suffer the risk of losing the cultural heritage of the past. How is it possible to imagine an urban development compatible with the identity of the place? The paper aim is to discuss the concept of the identity of the place in Asiatic fast changing contexts, with a peculiar focus about China, retrieving a selection of theoretical contributions and significant case-studies. The thesis is the need to hire a design attitude when facing the concept of identity. This makes it possible to introduce a reflection on the elements of potentiality and weakness, open to the different ways that the architectural project for the city can undertake. Through the comparison between different theoretical positions and design strategies the paper focuses on the emerging issues that the design project need to tackle. The paper is a personal contribution to the actors of urban transformation, targeted to open a discussion about the role of the project in the construction of the identity of the place.