A comparative approach for sustainability assessment in historic urban context

The study of the processes which determine urban sustainability appear to be at the center of the contemporary debate on the future development of the city. This is particularly evident when regarding historic cities. Indeed the city of the future will ideally be smart and sustainable, while keeping intact their heritage and traditional values. But what could be the connection between urban heritage and sustainable development? What tools can be used to promote and assess the sustainability of historic urban landscape? This article reviews, after an international and comparative approach, two different and specific cases: Italy and France. Once explained the operative assessment model of the different countries, attention is drawn to the role of heritage indicators. The last part of the position paper concerns the need expressed by the principal actors of two cities, Turin and Paris, to provide both of the different realities with a diagnostic tool that contains dimensions of both heritage and sustainability, that will be the base for future urban decisions and a fundamental support for decision-makers.