Rita Gagliardi

Rita Gagliardi is a PhD candidate in Architecture – History and Historic Preservation of Architectural Heritage at the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy. Trained as an architect with distinction (MArch, cum laude), she draws on architectural history, urban studies, and preservation theory to examine urban transformations in relation to historic preservation.

Her academic and professional background blends scholarly research with practical experience in heritage protection. She contributes to teaching activities within her home department, assisting in courses in History and Theory of Historic Preservation, Urban Conservation, and Historic Preservation and Design Studio. As a licensed architect in Italy, she completed an internship at the Preservation Office of the Italian Ministry of Culture, where she contributed to the evaluation of restoration projects for historic buildings and monuments. She has also developed expertise in cataloguing and digitization of architectural photographic archives and serves on the editorial staff of an architecture and design publication. Rita has presented her work at international conferences and published on architectural and urban heritage topics.

Project Abstract


At the University of Pennsylvania, Rita investigates how preservation practices in the United States evolved from monument-based protection toward the conservation of broader urban environments. Her research focuses on historic cities along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, with particular attention to Philadelphia as a key case of urban renewal and preservation. Combining archival research, historical analysis, and documentation of the urban fabric, her doctoral project explores how planning tools and preservation policies intersected to shape new understandings of urban heritage.