Bringing together perspectives from aesthetics and philosophy, sociology, architecture, urban history, and activism, the conference addresses a contradiction concerning historical cities in Europe. On the one hand, the historical city is experiencing a time of extraordinary difficulties due to desertion, pathological phenomena of hyper-occupation associated with tourism abruptly subverted by the pandemic, as well as processes of social and physical deterioration. Simultaneously, the historical city serves as a paradigm for the sustainable development of urban forms (“creative city”, “15-minutes-city”, recovery of community sociality, etc.). However, implementing these solutions demands a shift of perspective. In addition to the necessity of preserving historical cultural excellence, it is essential to examine the social, economic, and political activities in the historical city in light of its ample qualities. If the purpose is to care for the city as a whole as a common good, infra-ordinary heritage is just as important as exemplary heritage. Because of the ever-changing nature of a citizen's everyday life, these qualities need special attention. A steady effort is also required to make urban qualities accessible to both permanent and “temporary” citizens. As a result, developing a shared conceptual and operational framework across humanistic, scientific, and technological research domains is paramount.