Abstract

In a sustainable city there has been careful attention to the movement and presence of people within the spaces of the built environment as well as to the consciousness they lend. In the quest for sustainability, the balance between community and the space inhabited is acknowledged in order to achieve the desired transformation and to restore meaning to living in a place. Taking the Italian expression “mente locale,” this article argues that place takes on meaning when the awareness of space is activated. Awareness that localises perception, imagination, and memory informs the process of envisioning, and it creates the potential for resilience (that meets climate change demands). Relating space to cultural and urban characteristics allows resilience to be imagined within a city. This article is informed by critical discussions and sets the premises for further research.