The Pampulha Modern Ensemble: Reflections on the Complexities and Contradictions for the Management of a World Heritage Cultural Landscape

Abstract

The article presents a reflection on the complexities and contradictions of world heritage sites management processes, specifically in the Brazilian case of the Pampulha Modern Ensemble, which was inscribed in the cultural landscape typology in July 2016, on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—UNESCO. The case study aims to demonstrate that the inscription of cultural landscapes located in urban areas on the World Heritage List is a recent phenomenon, and as such, requires a review of the concepts and methodologies previously in force in the field of urban cultural heritage management and conservation. In the midst of contemporary discussions about the management of cultural landscapes, the value-based approach and the concept of cultural significance stand out, as both deal with the “management of change” inherent in the field of cultural landscape conservation and management. In light of this background, the article aims to reflect on the following issues: (1) What are the developments and effects of the inscription of the Pampulha Modern Ensemble as a Cultural Landscape on the World Heritage List? (2) What are the contemporary methodological approaches for the conservation/management of a Cultural (Urban) Landscape? (3) What would be the limit of acceptable transformations in a world heritage cultural landscape without losing its O.U.V.—Outstanding Universal Value? The article intends to problematize and promote reflection on such questions, aiming to elucidate the transformations that have occurred both in the symbolic and conceptual dimensions, as well as in the policies and instruments of preservation of cultural heritage over time, and to discuss the concepts, theories and practices of conservation and management of cultural heritage, especially of world heritage cultural landscapes.