In the recent past, processes of urbanisation related to gentrification have been observed in some rural areas. This article analyses the role of the rehabilitation of vernacular architecture and mainly addresses social groups with high levels of income in the territorial dynamics of the Empordanet in Catalonia (Spain). This case is particularly relevant for two reasons. On the one hand, the Empordanet is under particularly intense and socially selective pressure because of its proximity to Barcelona. On the other hand, this demand for housing is partially related to the reclamation of a kind of tradition associated with a component of strong regional identity. This article explores the various ways in which tradition is reclaimed, recovered, and reinvented, insisting particularly on agents’ behaviours framed in the broader context of governmentality. This is done through a pluralistic research methodology based on the dialogue between architecture and the social sciences. One of its main conclusions is that the rehabilitation of vernacular rural buildings generates a type of housing completely different from traditional constructions in its conception, functionality, design, materials, and construction processes. Furthermore, rehabilitation is closely associated with the generation of a new form of tradition.

It is argued that approaching video gaming as a (techno)cultural practice can enrich the understanding of the cultural heritage represented in video games, as well as their value, since games have become an important source of shared symbol systems amongst far-flung and heterogeneous audiences. The perceived realism of the environments (re)created in video games is a key concept for examining them and the consequences particular to this medium, namely, their capacity for the re-localisation of heritages places. In this paper, a qualitative and explorative study is undertaken through ethnographic research which draws on data from interviews. Photo elicitation has been used to assess the perceived realism of heritage places in video games, and the impact this has on players’ perceptions and attitudes towards those places, in order to understand how this might effect social spacialities. A number of challenges are highlighted, particularly the importance for depictions of heritage places to be clearly recognisable, and to ensure an integrated future for the socioeconomic life of heritage places through the new realities which are defining society.

Until now, the technology behind building systems has largely been neglected, and an exploration of the cultural transmission of these systems has been undervalued as a way of understanding changes in the symbolic worldview of society. This article analyses the developmental transitions in a specific building system, specifically the tile vault, as a case study that illustrates the changing values of a construction process as it has evolved, together with an understanding of the philosophy that has accompanied those changes over time. An ethnohistorical and ethnographic method has been used, enabling a longitudinal and rich analysis through time that illustrates the indissolubility of the technical issues from the prevailing social institutions of each era. These are based on a careful reading of changing conditions (environmental, social, and cultural), and of the progressive participatory appropriation which takes place through cooperative, synergistic working.

This paper asserts that neoliberal forms of governance are increasingly found in construction systems in Spain, a fact which becomes especially problematic when considering vernacular construction systems. Technological management and policy are both becoming more focussed on the promotion and consolidation of ‘expert systems’ at the expense of ‘different’ (and in particular) vernacular systems, which are processes which influence minds, and fundamentally shape subsequent actions. This paper adopts an ethnographic approach, undertaking investigation into the complexity of commonly found building systems, based upon empirical evidence gathered in the region of Catalonia. Focussing research on local vernacular construction systems reveals the extent to which the operation of distinct sets of managing ‘technologies’—embedded in specific practices such as auditing—becomes instrumental in shaping local construction practices. Currently, locally distinctive practices are deeply impacted by social influences generated far away, which have the consequences of significantly influencing, diluting, or even erasing vernacular building systems, even where these represent an important source of sustainable building techniques.

Beyond their direct use, buildings and heritage places are objects and settings which help to guide community actions. Cognitive perception systems interact directly with the built environment through action and generate experiences that will be used for subsequent actions. This requires a reorientation towards phenomenological perspectives that query the conceptual boundary between cognition and action. Five universities from three countries (Portugal, Italy, and Spain) came together in July 2023 through an Erasmus+ BIP (Blended Intense Programme) experience, developed for the La Latina neighbourhood, in the historical centre of Madrid. The intention was to highlight the importance of different disciplines, and interdisciplinary working, for planning an urban future which includes the goals of socio-economic and environmental sustainability, happiness, and the right of residents to maintain longstanding emotional connections with their neighbourhoods. The novelty of this experience compared to existing Master’s and PhD programmes in Europe was the early and intense contact of students with the subject through the development of fieldwork over two weeks. This was led by teachers from different disciplines to provide interdisciplinary perspectives for a training programme which included architecture, urbanism, urban anthropology, geography, history, and archaeology. Through this training, the intended outcomes were twofold: to equip students with the necessary knowledge and criteria to critically address these issues and to raise awareness among local stakeholders about the negative transformations affecting historic centres and their impact on residents’ quality of life.