"A description of Zaira as it is today should contain all the past of Zaira. Nevertheless, the city does not say it is past; it holds it as the lines on one's hand, written in the corners of the streets, in the window’s grids, in handrails on the stairs, in lightning rod’s antennas, in the masts of the flags, in every lined segment, saw-toothed edges, carvings, slices." 

(Calvino, 1972, p.4) 

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The spread of new ideas and ways of living led to significant technical and urban transformations in the urban landscape of the twentieth century. 

The new Urban Corporis – Foundations issue explores the relationship between new ideologies and planning in both architectural and urban contexts, illustrating the transition from the historic urban fabric to the contemporary city. 

Beginning with the Second Industrial Revolution, the last century witnessed the rise of reinforced concrete as the dominant construction method—a functional building technique that enabled communities to engage in newly planned spaces. Consequently, art and architecture became powerful tools for expressing ideological shifts and visions of the future. 

In an international context, Foundations aims to analyse analogies and differences in new towns and planned cities worldwide. This call seeks to encourage dialogue between various ideologies and cultural identities, identifying either recurring themes or opposing architectural and stylistic approaches. 

The cultural production of the last century contains both signs of emerging aspirations and traces of the past that support its study and conservation. 

This volume/call intends to retrace both planned and organic urban outcomes, beginning with the ambitions and early attempts of new urban projects. Moreover, it seeks to explore the state of neglect or conservation of urban heritage in relation to the way communities now inhabit these spaces. The ultimate objective is to understand the role of planned cities in both present and future perspectives.