Introduction

Contemporary cities nowadays are a mix of technological development, art, and architecture at the crossroads. In this edited book, a group of contributions address different topics related to cities identities, cities shapes and information, heritage, arts, sustainability, vocabulary, and public regulations. While a city is an orchestration of architecture, art, and urban planning; its identity is, however, linked to human elements, geography, cultural, social, and economic integrations. Arts and architecture are among the factors that shape the history of civilizations and allow ancient and modern cities to flourish. These factors do not stop only at buildings and constructions but also include traditions, cultural beliefs, and communal arts. By cherishing traditions and civilizations that left behind various architectural miracles, the way for future generations to develop and preserve their identity could be paved. This edited book is the result of the work of authors and editors collaborating on developing a general understanding of the themes related to the city and its identity through art and architecture. Several sections are focusing on the shaping of the city based on its morphological formation and the cultural identities restructured in European, Middle Eastern, and international contexts. This volume brings together thirty contributions from the latest edition that was held at the University of Pisa on December 5 and 6, 2022. The conference treated the themes of cities shapes and development of vocabularies as well as topics related to visual arts and visualization and its impact on human design of cities. The book is divided into four main parts: Part One—Identifying Cities and Formation; Part Two—Shaping Cities and Formation; Part Three—Heritage Arts: Sustainability, Identities and Public Regulations; and Part Four— Development of Cities’ Vocabularies. This book explores critical viewpoints on current urban developments and challenges while examining the historical assemblages of cities, their postcolonial identities, and architectural forms. Based on studies from all over the world, Italy, Turkey, Korea, and other countries are mentioned in this book as case studies, whereas evidence from the interplay of art, architecture, and urban planning is illustrated. The book also brings together experiences from urban design with uncertainty and formulation of environmental and social sustainability in different contexts. Meanwhile, it sheds light on the gentrification and preservation of neighborhoods in old cities and towns. Nonetheless, some contributions pose the question of arts as a way to revitalize historical contexts in some areas.