The Role of Spatial Networks in the Historic Urban Landscape: Learning from Venice in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries

Venice's historic urban landscape, particularly the Piazza San Marco, reveals that heritage is a socially constructed process involving the interplay of anonymous urban structures and designed elements. This study redefines UNESCO's Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) framework by demonstrating how spatial networks, intangible practices, and symbols shape early modern architectural consciousness and urban regeneration. It challenges disciplinary boundaries in heritage conservation, arguing for an interdisciplinary approach that acknowledges dominant ideologies while exposing underlying conflicts. By analyzing Venice's 15th-16th century urban morphology, the research offers a model for understanding how societies select and legitimize structures—from buildings to legal instruments—as part of their cultural identity.

Psarra, S. (2018). The Role of Spatial Networks in the Historic Urban Landscape: Learning from Venice in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. The Historic Environment: Policy & Practice, 9(3-4), 249–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/17567505.2018.1516380