Architectural and urban heritage worldwide faces unprecedented challenges arising from rapid urbanization, conflict, environmental pressures, socio-spatial transformations, and inadequate risk management. Protecting these historic spaces requires integrated frameworks that bridge advanced technology, theoretical conservation charters and conventions, and community-driven urban governance. This Special Issue explores state-of-the-art methodologies and critical discourses in architectural and urban heritage conservation, digital documentation, and sustainable urban transformation.

The scope encompasses cutting-edge 3D and 2D visual digital documentation technologies (e.g., terrestrial laser scanning, photogrammetry, HBIM, and GIS-based analytics) applied to the assessment, structural analysis, monitoring, and virtual reconstruction, Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of historic monuments, settlements, and landscapes. In parallel, it addresses the imperative for risk management and conservation plans tailored to complex historic urban cores. Critical inquiries will focus on evaluating modern architectural interventions within traditional and ancient contexts, adaptive reuse paradigms, and socio-spatial planning obstacles that affect heritage tourism and local sustainability.

Furthermore, this issue examines the flexibility and resilience of international charters and principles when translated into local practice, fostering essential dialogues between technical architectural communities and non-technical local stakeholders. By bringing together comparative global case studies and interdisciplinary research, this issue aims to formulate comprehensive guidelines and actionable recommendations for preserving cultural heritage while supporting contemporary socio-economic urban needs. The following six core tracks encompass both foundational conservation theories and emerging technological paradigms.

TRACK 1: Next-Generation Advanced Digital Documentation, 3D Reconstruction, Spatial Analytics

AI, and Digital Twins

TRACK 2: Climate Resilience, Risk Management, Structural Assessment, Disaster Mitigation, and Conservation Planning

TRACK 3: Socio-Spatial Dynamics, Intangible Heritage, Community Engagement, and Community Resilience, and Sustainable Tourism

TRACK 4: Policy Frameworks, Circular Economy, Adaptive Reuse, and Historic Urban Landscapes

TRACK 5: Urban Morphology, Historic Landscapes, and Settlement Paradigms

TRACK 6: Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Comparative Global Case Studies

 Target Audience & Expected Contributions

We welcome submissions from architects, urban planners, archaeologists, heritage conservationists, Geomatics and GIS specialists, and socio-spatial researchers.

Methodological Papers: Introducing New Frameworks for Digital Documentation, Risk Assessment, and HIA.

Case Studies: Providing empirical evidence from specific global heritage sites (particularly bridging Middle Eastern, Asian, and global contexts).

Policy & Theoretical Reviews: Critiquing Current Conservation Charters and Proposing Updated Socio-Spatial Planning Models.