Historical Mediterranean and Near Eastern cities took shape and grew through morphogenetic processes. These relied on generative building principles that date back to the 6th century AD and earlier. The authors analysed these planning principles in the Calabria region (Italy) and found that their capability to support contemporary urban planning, programmes and regulations in historical contexts stands out. Based on previous research, this work takes inspiration from 11 ancient principles to propose seven themes, which deserve to be incorporated into contemporary legislation. This work benefited from a series of academic events, promoted by the Calabria chapter of the National Institute of Urban Planning (INU, by its Italian acronym) during the last four years of activity on “how to redesign regional urban planning law” starting from the recognition of the urban-social characteristics of Calabria. The outcome has flowed into an anthological publication that contains indications on how to modify urban planning legislation at the regional level. This essay aims to share the results of this work in a synthetic way with an international audience.