Heritage roots, future gaze. The case of Ahmedabad

India is a country where the drive for modernization is becoming more urgent every day, and this topic is a central debate in the national political strategies. Moreover, the recent pandemic has highlighted the structural fragilities that an inconsistent and inclusive settlement system has created for cities in India as in every other country in the world. This study reflects the considerations developed in ongoing research in the context of the City of Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad is one of the first 20 Smart Cities in India and is inscribed in the UNESCO Heritage list (2017). The city has an intrinsic myriad of tangible heritage elements testified by its historical built form and monumental architecture, reflecting the succession of eras within its intricately layered past. These are strongly associated with the city’s intangible memory comprising its identity, culture, traditions, and its resident communities’ everyday life dynamically. Recent decades have revealed the city’s vulnerability towards the pressures of rapid urbanization. This status is substantiated by the phenomena of depopulation and abandonment of inner-city spaces resulting from migratory flows, overcrowding, lack of resources, and the need for economic growth and modernization. This study aims to understand how the race for modernization on the one hand and the need to understand and safeguard the heritage of a city that witnesses history must be included in the contemporary debate in India. In particular, we want to reflect on what tactics and strategies of participatory planning can be defined in a place like Ahmedabad, a city dense with an urban and social heritage that needs holistic interpretations and new inclusive visions, in order to comprehend how the current condition and our cultural past could coexist in this emerging future.