Cultural heritage preservation and sustainable development. Notes for a shared approach construction

The need of preserving the physical built inheritance of the past has been accepted, at least in theory. That the cultural heritage is a resource for the present and the future is a shared concept in general, but it is often overlooked in practical experiences, when the actions carried out are totally careless of the built environment which we have inherited. But what does saving a building mean? Does it preserve image, matter or memory? Does any intervention on the legacy of the past, without deprivation or impairment, respect what was handed down to us? It is clear that there are various approaches, with different operational consequences. The contribution is aimed at analyzing the reasons for preserving what exists, highlighting how it is the only possible and responsible attitude to the historical heritage for a sustainable de-velopment that doesn’t entail an additional consumption of resources. A capable conservation of withholding the survival of all the present components that we have to pass on future and their development and adaptation to changing needs. To retain the built heritage becomes, therefore, not only culturally appropriate, but also eco-nomically sustainable.