Cultural landscape management through the application of environmental certifications

Abstract

Environmental certifications are a tool that aims to measure and evaluate the environmental quality of buildings and their surroundings, with potential collaboration in urban planning. Among the various cultural landscapes that constitute the cities, the historical landscapes can report unique images of urban places, acting as testimonies of the past, which establish connections with the present and serve as reference for the construction of the future. Thus, the need to work the heritage field in sustainable urban management policies is demonstrated. Based on analytical research in the fields of environmental certification and cultural landscape, and documentary research on the Urban-Landscape Set on Avenida Köeler, in the Historic Center of Petrópolis/RJ, the possibility of certifying the set through AQUA/HQE - Neighborhoods was assessed. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of the environmental certification instrument with regard to the maintenance of historical and cultural values ​​and to the physical conservation of this complex. In addition to meeting the objectives and indicators, the opportunity to establish an urban management program to achieve with excellence the performance of high environmental quality is evident. This study also shows that when analyzing the certification guidelines, as far as the cultural dimension is concerned, a review is needed to better cover the heritage issue, to establish specific guidelines for the conservation of existing landscapes as an incentive to the preservation and promotion of urban quality for current and future generations.