Cultural Continuity and Creative Adaptation: Reinterpreting Tradition in Contemporary Practice [editorial]

Abstract

This special issue seeks to examine how cultural values are rooted in heritage, tradition, identity, and place. continue to shape and inform contemporary creative and spatial practices. Across different global contexts, from Southeast Asia and North Africa to Western urban settings, the contributions in this volume demonstrate how cultural memory and sociocultural frameworks remain essential in navigating modernity, urban transformation, and identity reconstruction. In regions such as Indonesia and Algeria, traditions are not simply preserved—they are actively reinterpreted through narrative, design, and architecture. Whether expressed in food heritage, domestic spatial arrangements, or traditional craftsmanship, cultural practices provide both continuity and adaptability amid social and environmental change. These examples reveal how local knowledge systems and philosophical values remain embedded in evolving cultural expressions, particularly when communities are involved in shaping these transformations. Similarly, studies situated in Western contexts emphasize the importance of community agency and adaptive reuse in preserving cultural identity through built environments. Here, architecture becomes a conduit for collective memory, where repurposed spaces serve not only functional needs but also reinforce social cohesion and historical awareness. Across all cases, this issue highlights the interplay between tradition and innovation, emphasizing that cultural sustainability depends not only on the conservation of material heritage but also on the creative reinterpretation of values and practices. Through associative approaches spanning architecture, design, literature, and cultural theory, the contributions in this volume affirm the relevance of cultural specificity in addressing global challenges and building inclusive futures.