A Place­Sustaining Framework for Local Urban Identity: an Introduction and History of Cittaslow

Abstract

This article will provide an introduction and description of the Cittaslow organisation, its history, philosophy and policy. The organisation is reviewed through the lenses of place­sustaining,
localisation and the importance of identity. Much of this article is based upon research from 2004 and 2005, conducted by the author, in Europe (primarily Italy) and from the author’s home­base in Canada. The original intention was to analyse the case of Cittaslow, as it seeks to sustain the local sense of place and the identity inherent to each individual urban area.