Bamiyan Strategic Master Plan is the result of an intense collaborative relationship between the University of Florence, the Afghan Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, Bamiyan Governorate, Bamiyan Mu-nicipality and Bamiyan University, made possible by the financial support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. In line with the philosophy of cooperation adopted, developing the Master Plan has become a means towards general social development, through the strengthening of institutions, of grassroots democracy and of partici-pative practices to facilitate a deeper understanding of the place. The Master Plan – based on the results of a systematic programme of analysis and research on the valley, undertaken in February 2017 – is an attempt to harness the most significant aspects of change and develop-ent, ensuring, at the same time, the protection of Bamiyan’s precious cultural heritage, as well as the deepest consideration of its specific geographic, social and cultural aspects, within a multidisciplinary approach.