AZPEITIA, A., AZKARATE, A. (2016): Ciudad histórica y desarrollo. La compleja noción de paisajes urbanos históricos, “Ciudades Creativas. IV Congreso Internacional”, Madrid, pp. 84-96

Historic cities shape a spatial and temporal dynamic set in which the contributions of the past, present and future are integrated. The emergence of the notion of historic urban landscapes in the field of urban conservation promotes a holistic management of the urban area understood as a global socio-systemic process that integrates all affected territorial factors (environmental, landscape, economic and social) through different heritage aspects (material, intangible, natural and cultural).With good planning, urban heritage is a sustainable key resource that should be promoted and developed within the existing territorial competitiveness in a context marked by the increased rivalry between cities. However, the economic pressures from the reality of contemporary globalized world pose a serious threat to its protection and safeguarding making this new comprehensive approach is not without risk. What should be the limits of acceptable change in the historic urban landscapes?, how to bring this new systemic and transversal concept to the current regulatory framework in order to get a real legal protection and effective governance models in urban areas?These, along with many other questions, make the work of the professionals in charge of urban conservation more challenging in their aim to establish a sustainable dialogue to clear the complex equation between historical city and development.