The UNESCO Chair in Architectural Preservation and Planning in World Heritage Cities is long-term programme promoted by UNESCO in the Mantova Campus of Politecnico di Milano since 2012. The Mantova UNESCO Chair aims to develop innovative education, research and dissemination activities in the field of architectural design for heritage cities, by supporting the experimentation with new teaching and training practices, fostering international cooperations through the establishing of a cross-culturalnetwork of partners, and facilitating the exchange and transfer of knowledge within different areas of the world.The programme builds on the multifarious values of architectural heritage and on the conception of its enhancement as a strategy to fostera sustainable evolution of urban contexts. Drawing on the complexity of the multi-scale problems related to architectural and environmental preservation and planning in contemporary heritage cities, the mission of the Chair addressed the shaping and promoting of ground-breaking and inter-disciplinary theories and practices for the development of the interplay between conservation and transformation instances, with the aim to educate the future generations of architects to an aware and efficient approach to the opportunities and the challenges in the field.