Heritage, community, and education. The case of Museu da Citade in Sao Paulo

several experiences of musealization of the territory, which examines the city as a dynamic entity with a past but also in continuous transformation, composed of objects and people, buildings and bodies, space and perception. The experience of space, the several ways of living it, traversing it, remembering it, describing it, are key to the process of recognition and construction of Cultural Heritage inscribed in the urban landscape.A significant international case, notable for its ability to gather and promote community self-representations of the urban reality of a large metropolis, is the City Museum of São Paulo (Museu da Cidade de São Paulo, MCSP), Brazil [https://www.museudacidade.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/ accessed 20 January 2004]. This paper outlines the themes of an investigation on this case. The activities carried out by the museum will be analysed considering the relationship between community, urban space, and the body. The experience of space will be investigated and interpreted through survey practices,educational actions, and participatory dynamics.Going beyond the idea of musealizing the territory as a nostalgic act of preservation, this museum is aimed to be a resource in urban development, an element of confrontation in the construction of metropolitan areas. While still inheriting its tangible and intangible heritage from the past, the MCSP wants to reflect on the city in the present, to constitute a permanent observatory, promoting a way to recognize collective identities. In the complexity of contemporary metropolis, identity values are not easy to be collectively recognized; therefore, it is increasingly important to stimulate a sense of belonging, capable of connecting different generations and coexisting cultures of the territory. Citizens are therefore involved in the museum experience also by integrating educational, often interdisciplinary, activities that take place in the urban environment.