Enhancing Local Economies Through Sustainable Urban Development

This book explores how sustainable urban development can drive global progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 by enhancing cities and communities. Through an integrative focus on public spaces, sustainable transportation, urban resilience, and cultural heritage, it presents actionable strategies and case studies from diverse global regions that address inclusivity, safety, and accessibility in urban environments.

This work examines how visual and sensory documentation of public spaces can improve perception, accessibility, and safety, by presenting insights on AI technologies and 3D simulations, it reveals how sensory design and mental mapping help create environments that feel more welcoming and secure, thereby fostering broader social engagement and utilization of these spaces, emphasizing the role of sustainable transportation and inclusive urban planning in supporting local economies and promoting tourism. Furthermore, the book delves into the critical relationship between urban resilience and the preservation of cultural and natural heritage, underscoring that resilient cities are better able to maintain and protect their historical assets, revealing strategies for safeguarding these treasures, offering examples from Europe, Latin America, and North Asia.

Through scenario analysis and urban risk management, it provides a roadmap for integrating urban resilience with cultural heritage conservation, ensuring these sites remain intact for future generations while boosting their appeal as tourist destinations. Green and public spaces are highlighted as pivotal components for sustainable tourism and social development, with a focus on creating “smart” cities that integrate green spaces designed to promote social interaction and enhance public health.

The book examines how urban spaces can be optimized to foster social cohesion, improve public well-being, and support economic growth. By discussing roles of stakeholders in advancing sustainable tourism creating urban environments that are not only visually appealing but also functionally inclusive and beneficial for communities, it concludes by exploring integrative approaches and future pathways for sustainable urban development, offering recommendations for policymakers, urban planners, and scholars.

Dr. Saúl Alfonso Esparza Rodríguez is an outstanding academic and professional in the field of Management and Competitiveness, member of the National System of Researchers (SNII) of Mexico. He is currently a researcher professor in the Anahuac School of Business, Universidad Anahuac Queretaro, contributing his broad international experience to the academic development of the institution; he is also participating in a postdoctoral fellowship at the Faculty of Accounting and Administration of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. His strong academic background is complemented by a distinguished career as an inventor, holding patents registered with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) and more than 20 copyrights registered with the National Institute of Copyright (INDAUTOR).

Massimo Leserri is an architect and Assistant professor, specializing in architectural representation and digital surveying. His scientific activity, deeply rooted in university research, focuses on the application of emerging technologies for the preservation and enhancement of historical heritage. He currently operates within the DICATECh Department at the Polytechnic University of Bari, where he coordinates cutting-edge studies aimed at merging technical documentation with cultural storytelling.

Dr. Anibal Enrique Toscano-Hernández holds a PhD in Economics and Business from the University of Oviedo (Spain). He is a Professor and Researcher at the Universidad del Sinú (Colombia). With over 15 years of experience in research and strategic consultancy, his work focuses on Applied Economics, Sustainable Marketing, and Regional Development, he is recognized as a Senior Researcher by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation of Colombia.

Juan Enrique Nieto-Julián holds a PhD from the University of Seville. Degree in Architecture, Technical Architecture and Master's Degree in Architecture and Historical Heritage. He develops his scientific work in the lines: Historical Building Information Models - HBIM and Application of new techniques of measurement and non-destructive prospecting in Heritage: Laser Scanning and Photogrammetry. He has been a professor since 1997, attached to the Department of Graphic Expression and Building Engineering.

Mariella De Fino holds a PhD in Building Engineering and is currently an Associate Professor in Architectural Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Bari. She is a Visiting Professor at ESITC Caen (France), a founding partner of the university spin-off B.Re.D srl – Building Refurbishment and Diagnostics, and coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Building Engineering, she is also the inventor of a national patent for a non-invasive inspection system for concrete structures aimed at determining carbonation.

Gabriele Rossi holds a PhD in Surveying and Representation of Architecture and the Environment and is Full Professor of Architectural Drawing at the Polytechnic University of Bari (Italy). He teaches Architectural Surveying at the School of Specialization in Architectural and Landscape Heritage and is co-founder of the university spin-off AESEI – Architectural & Engineering Survey of Environment and Infrastructures srl, and he is author of around 150 scientific publications.

Cesare Verdoscia, Architect, Ph.D. in “Documentation, Analysis and Reuse of Cultural Heritage”, at the Interdepartmental Documentation Center for the Study of Urban and Rural Settlements in Puglia of the University of Bari Aldo Moro. Associate Professor of the SSD CEAR-10/A Drawing of the Department of Civil, Environmental, Territorial, Construction and Chemical Engineering - D.I.C.A.T.E.Ch. of the Polytechnic of Bari. Teacher of "Drawing and model of the built environment" for the Degree Course in Building Engineering of the Polytechnic of Bari. Scientific director of the Architectural and Urban Modeling Laboratory (MauLab) of the Polytechnic of Bari.