Acceleration in technology, the climate crisis, and the social transformations of the 21st century have introduced new challenges and new frameworks for restoration, conservation, and promotion of the built environment. A reflection on the very meaning of "heritage” is needed, as well as on the factors that determine its definition and its scopes, both traditional and new, and on its transmission to future generations. Through the development of a knowledge process aimed at designing sustainable environmental, cultural, and social interventions, the objective of the congress is to reaffirm the centrality of the conservation of built heritage, achievable through dialogue between different disciplines.

Starting from these premises, we propose a specific, though not exclusive, reflection on the criteria for evaluating and conserving architecture, cities, and landscapes from the second half of the 20th century, whether they are those located in pre-existing historical contexts or if they are designed or built in newly developed areas.