The preservation of the chromatic image of historical cities as a cultural value. The old city of Valencia (Spain)

Abstract

Abstract Understanding the physical and material characteristics of our historical cities is essential for the preservation of their hereditary and cultural values. Beyond the historical logic of the urban scene and its functional nature, the city is sensed through the spaces, which it creates and configures. The spaces of the historical city represent the soul of its history and the final result of its development. Through the architectural configuration of these spaces, we can visualize the historical and vital logic that underlies the city, the heritage of the people and cultures that make it up. The Study for the Recovery of Urban Spaces in Valencia Historical Center is an interdisciplinary project of intervention in patrimonial architecture, aiming to recover the original image of spaces in the historical city center. This is a project started in 1995 and ended in 2013, which is formed by a series of activities in which both, the Polytechnic University of Valencia as a research institution and the public administrations involved in the processes of regeneration and restoration of the historic center, take part. The aim of the project has been the start-up of a dynamic restoration process of the city's historic urban centre and its landscape value. By combining scientific studies, tasks of awareness and sensitization of population, it aims to determine the formal and chromatic characteristics of original spaces that create the architecture of the city.