Towards Sustainable Urban Regeneration: Utilizing Environmental, Cultural, and Social Assets

Francesco Alberti is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the Department of Architecture, University of Florence. He currently coordinates the Urban Design Laboratories for the five-year single-cycle Master’s Degree in Architecture, as well as the Urban and Infrastructure Design Laboratories for the Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and Design for Sustainability. He also teaches Smart City Planning in the postgraduate program “ABITA” (Bioecological Architecture and Technological Innovation for the Environment). Within the same department, he serves as the scientific coordinator of the research unit “SUP&R” (Sustainable Urban Projects & Research) and of the related university spin-off “Urban LIFE” (Urban Liveability & Innovation for Everyone). He is also a member of the University of Florence’s scientific team at the “Urban Mobility” spoke of the “National Centre on Sustainable Mobility,” established in 2022 by the Italian Government.

Paola Gallo is a full professor in Architectural Technology at the University of Florence, Department of Architecture DIDA, where she carries out teaching and research activities. Scientific Secretary since 2007 of the Interuniversity Research Centre in Bio-ecological Architecture and Technological Innovation for the Environment is Coordinator of the ABITA Master at the University of Florence. Scientific Director since 2017 of the TAM Laboratory of Technologies for the Mediterranean Area of the DIDALAB System of the DIDA (Department of Architecture) of the University of Florence. Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program: Sustainability and Innovation for the Built Environment and Product System Design at the DIDA Department of Architecture, University of Florence.

Hasim Altan (B.Arch., M.Arch., Ph.D., PGCE, FHEA) is a full professor of Sustainable Design and Architectural Engineering in the College of Engineering at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He began his academic career as a lecturer after successfully completing his Ph.D. degree in 2004, during which he was also appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield (UK). While there, he completed his Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and subsequently became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). He is a Chartered Architect (RIBA) and a Chartered Engineer (CIBSE) with over 20 years of academic and practical experience in the field of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) within the Built Environment across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa (MENA) regions.

Antonio Labalestra is an associate professor with a Ph.D. in the History of Architecture from IUAV in Venice and a second-level European master’s degree from the University of Roma Tre. He has organized and curated numerous academic and cultural events, including seminars, lecture series, film festivals, and exhibitions. Labalestra is a member of two doctoral colleges at the Polytechnic University of Bari and teaches contemporary architectural history and design history. His research focuses on architectural history from the late 19th to 20th centuries, particularly its intersections with applied arts and industrial production. An active scholar, he contributes extensively to books, journals, and scientific editorial boards. His notable work includes *Il palazzo del Governo di Taranto*. Since 2020, he has led the “Historical Heritage and Archival Sources” laboratory and directs a master’s program on digital strategies for historical heritage.

Eric J. Strauss  (J.D. in Law and Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning) has held faculty positions in the following disciplines: agriculture; architecture and urban design; environmental studies; geography; law; public administration; public affairs; and urban and regional planning. After serving on a Governor’s staff in Wisconsin, he joined the University of Kansas. His research areas included such topics as energy conservation, growth management, adequate public facilities and climate change planning. He later moved to Michigan State University to direct the Urban and Regional Planning Program and is now Professor Emeritus.. He has taught at Universities in Ireland, Germany, Romania, South Korea, and Turkey. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Panama and Romania.