Cultural practices, traditional knowledge and rituals, known as intangible heritage, are inherent to communities and individuals as a natural extension of their ‘being’. The necessity of including culture as an essential component of urban developmentUrban development has been collectively agreed in Habitat IIIHabitat III. The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not only about legacy, but also as a contribution to social cohesion, sustainable development and enhancing resilienceResilience at the time of disasters. Nevertheless, the notion of intangible heritage as a key urban element or having urban dimensions is underexplored yet inherently intertwined with urban life that can influence and be influenced by urban policiesUrban policy and practices. This Chapter makes the case for this book and is an entry point to ‘Recognising Intangible Heritage in Urban Transformations’. The book contributes towards the need to apply transdisciplinary and cross disciplinary examination of the complex real-world interplays between the intangible cultural heritage of communities with cities and the built environment in constant flux. The Chapter provides the conceptual framing that unifies case studies and concepts from a wide cultural geography, ranging from developed to developing countries to unpack links between space, community and heritage in cities in normal as well as disrupted circumstances to gain a better understanding of this multifaceted concept. The book advocates the notion of urban intangible heritage as a real urban phenomenon requiring recognition and consideration, together with the importance of understanding the role of communities as the real stewards of intangible heritage. It offers narratives around fresh perspectives and underexplored cases towards a better understanding of urban intangible heritage and interconnections between cities, urban characteristics and the intangible heritage of communities, in both normal and disastrous contexts. They go well beyond the cartesian perception of the world and the division between disciplines. The book contributes to the above paradigm shift and is complementary to the wealth of scholarly and applied research on the tangible characteristics of everchanging cities.