This special issue seeks to examine how cultural values are rooted in heritage, tradition, identity, and place. continue to shape and inform contemporary creative and spatial practices. Across different global contexts, from Southeast Asia and North Africa to Western urban settings, the contributions in this volume demonstrate how cultural memory and sociocultural frameworks remain essential in navigating modernity, urban transformation, and identity reconstruction.

In regions such as Indonesia and Algeria, traditions are not simply preserved—they are actively reinterpreted through narrative, design, and architecture. Whether expressed in food heritage, domestic spatial arrangements, or traditional craftsmanship, cultural practices provide both continuity and adaptability amid social and environmental change. These examples reveal how local knowledge systems and philosophical values remain embedded in evolving cultural expressions, particularly when communities are involved in shaping these transformations.

Similarly, studies situated in Western contexts emphasize the importance of community agency and adaptive reuse in preserving cultural identity through built environments. Here, architecture becomes a conduit for collective memory, where repurposed spaces serve not only functional needs but also reinforce social cohesion and historical awareness.

Across all cases, this issue highlights the interplay between tradition and innovation, emphasizing that cultural sustainability depends not only on the conservation of material heritage but also on the creative reinterpretation of values and practices. Through associative approaches spanning architecture, design, literature, and cultural theory, the contributions in this volume affirm the relevance of cultural specificity in addressing global challenges and building inclusive futures.

Topics:

1- Architectural Heritage and Adaptive Reuse.
2- Cultural Identity and Vernacular Architecture.
3- Community-led and Participatory Design.
4- Sensory and Symbolic Aspects of Architecture.

Guest Editor:
Monica Alcindor, PhD,
Associate Professor, Portucalense University, Portugal.

Guest Editors are allowed to include one of their own papers in the special issue they are overseeing. However, this requires prior approval from the Editor-in-Chief. Once the paper is submitted, it will be allocated by the Journal editorial office to the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriate associate editor. They will manage the peer review process and ultimately determine the paper's final acceptance status.

The peer review process in this issue is double-blinded. If an editorial board member has submitted a paper, they will not be involved during the revision process in order to preserve the integrity of the revision process.