Historic Townscape Research Articles

A Community Dilemma Triggered by the Issue of Vacant Houses in a Historic Townscape

A Community Dilemma Triggered by the Issue of Vacant Houses in a Historic Townscape

Defining Historic Townscape Characteristics following Local People’s Perceptions: Developing a Townscape Character Assessment Policy for Chiang Mai Old City, Thailand

Townscape in urban heritage sites contributes a vital visual perception of the public realm. It consists of the streetscape, buildings, natural features, and human perception, which include the social, cultural, and way of life on the scenes. Historic Townscape represents tangible and intangible scenes related to historical artifacts and the historical value of the places. Townscape Character Assessment (TCA) can apply to evaluate the quality of urban elements which represent the significance of social, cultural, and human perception of urban heritage. However, Chiang Mai City Council should have paid more attention to the valued process of establishing a townscape character assessment policy and has not been part of the ongoing heritage preservation process. In the critical urban heritage environment of Chiang Mai Old City, the aim is to define the townscape characteristics of the city and to be used as fundamental knowledge to establish the suitable Townscape Character Assessment (TCA) for Chiang Mai Old City. This research study has considered four aspects in terms of townscape Character Assessment Policy study that could establish the Townscape Characteristics of Chiang Mai Old City. These are the quality of the streetscape; cultural expression; perceptual factors; and socio-cultural values. Generally, Townscape Character Assessment employs the four significant factors to value townscape characteristics. This study has considered the ongoing new world heritage site as Chiang Mai is a “living heritage” which has faced the loss of greenery, cleanliness, and identity in its inner city and is likely to have issues when the city becomes a heritage tourism destination. The study involved twenty-five local participants and used a mixed methodology consisting of questionnaires, photo-elicitation interviews (PEI), needle method, and in-depth interviews. The results found that the connection of religious places, urban heritage artifacts, cultural activities, and the natural colors of local flowers in the city represented its characteristics. The study revealed possible factors to evaluate a townscape character assessment policy for CMOC, including the physical need for streetscape improvement, cultural expression along the streetscapes, perception of the quality of the streetscapes, and representation of socio-cultural values of the streetscapes. These results can be implemented in developing assessment guidelines for any heritage sites undergoing heritage nomination or any historical cities concerned with townscape character.

Conservation Planning and the Development Trajectory of the Historic Core of Worcester, England

For over half a century many urban centres in England have been influenced by local conservation policies designed to preserve and enhance their historic townscapes. Whilst these policies have been viewed as broadly successful in preventing the loss of valued historic buildings, there has been limited detailed evaluation of their impact on the localised trajectories of development and change within cities. This article seeks to examine one of these localised trajectories through consideration of the impact of conservation planning on the nature of major development in the commercial core of the historic city of Worcester, England. Utilising local authority planning records, it explores the complex local unfolding of wider conservation and development interests through a focus on the outcomes of planning decision-making evident in the changing nature, location and architectural style of major development in the city core from the late 1980s onwards. The article uses the idea of conservation planning as an “assemblage” to consider how variation in the extent and nature of change across the core reflected the outcome of a complex web of decision-making, moulded by the material agency of a “heritage map” of heritage asset designation. Three distinct “turns” are noted over the study period when shifts in the wider discourses of conservation planning, changing local planning contexts, and amendments to the heritage map produced changes in the local conservation planning assemblage. The discussion highlights how a policy deficiency in articulating the value and significance of the existing urban form and character of the area impacted development proposals and outcomes, leading to the incremental erosion of local character, both in terms of morphological and functional change. The article concludes by reflecting on how exploration of change within local conservation-planning-assemblages might provide insights into some of the current challenges facing urban conservation practice in seeking to articulate how the management of historic urban landscapes can support sustainable urban development.

A study on the development process of landscape management in the central area of a local city with historic townscape

奈良県桜井市本町は、歴史的な町並みを有する地方都市であり、複数の地域団体により、多様な景観マネジメントが実践されている。本研究では、本町を対象に、景観マネジメントの展開プロセスを明らかにした。景観マネジメントに関連する活動のプロセスをみると、地域団体は調査・イベントから活動をはじめ、課題や目標を共有した上で、実践による技術等の蓄積とその活用により、新たな活動の展開を積み重ねていったことが分かった。さらに、地域関係者の連携体制の変遷、個人の役割の変遷を分析した。その結果、地域団体と関係者が様々な連携体制を構築していたことが分かった。また、関係者からの働きかけにより、活動が展開していた。さらに、新たな活動の展開にあたっては、個人が各々の役割を担い、各々の専門性を発揮していた。

A study on historical townscape and its conservation

A study on historical townscape and its conservation

A study on the disappearance of alleys in central Kyoto—From 2006 to 2016—

AbstractThere are many historic alleys in central Kyoto. The alleys in Kyoto's historical townscape have commonly been considered part of its special charm. However, in recent years, such characteristics of this townscape are disappearing. This paper aims to analyze and discuss the disappearance of alleys from 2006 to 2016. The total number of alleys in the subject area declined 7.78%. The following three typical patterns of disappearance of alleys were identified: (i) A pattern where the plot of land that includes the alley is sold by the owner, and as a result, the building along the alley are demolished. Immediately after the alley disappears, collective housing is built. (ii) A pattern where the individual owners of the land, including the alley, decide to demolish the existing building along the alley and replace them with a new detached house. (iii) A pattern where a parking lot is built after the owner of the building along the alley demolishes them.

Repairing and Recovering Structural Performance of Earthen Walls Used in Japanese Dozo-Style Structures After Seismic Damage

Several traditional building group districts exist in Japan as a system for preserving the remaining historical villages and townscapes of the country, along with their surrounding environment. In the northern Kanto region of Japan, there remain examples of many dozo-style structures called “Dozo-dukuri,” forming a distinctive historical townscape. In the 2011 Tohoku Region Pacific Offshore Earthquake, the traditional townscapes and dozo-style structures of the Kanto region were seriously damaged. When restoring the walls of damaged dozo-style structures to a sound condition, demolishing and reconstructing all the mud requires considerable labor; moreover, few modern artisans can construct mud walls. However, if there was a method that could recover the structural performance of the walls immediately via partial repair, the restoration of the walls could again become economical. Therefore, in this study, we first surveyed the specifications of mud walls in the northern Kanto region. Then, we performed horizontal loading tests on full-scale walls produced according to the survey results to determine the structural performance of walls under a horizontal force, e.g., an earthquake. Further, a test specimen damaged by a horizontal force was repaired, and a horizontal loading test was performed again. The results elucidated the structural performance recoverability obtained by the proposed repair method.

Reweaving the Urban Fabric of the Historic Riverfront Townscape of Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur

This study aims to examine the state of decline in the art of relationship between the urban river and all other elements in the historic townscape using principles of the Integrative Theory with the purpose to identify what binds townscape together and gives its sense of place and what causes the rupture. A qualitative-method case study was conducted in the Masjid India Riverfront District involving a visual survey, townscape appraisal, and content analysis on the morphology of the historic riverfront. The results show that the rupture between townscape and river as context is a product of poor walkability in a riverfront devoid of any setting for meaningful human activities, and the key to reweave the historic townscape is to rediscover what gives its meaning and sense of place.

Geologischer Rundgang durch die Altstadt von Braunschweig. Auf den Spuren der wichtigsten das historische Stadtbild prägenden regionalen Naturwerksteine (Exkursion A am 3. April 2018)

Geologischer Rundgang durch die Altstadt von Braunschweig. Auf den Spuren der wichtigsten das historische Stadtbild prägenden regionalen Naturwerksteine (Exkursion A am 3. April 2018)

Influence of the Tourism Business on the Facades of Townhouses in the Case of Hanoi′s Ancient Quarter

The Hanoi ancient quarter is a district with 1,000 years of history, which has grown rapidly in recent years as an international tourism destination with its historical townscape as a tourism resource. Consequently, the business types have shifted toward tourism and with that town houses are being rebuilt and renovated, thereby changing the townscape. Surveys of changes to the townscape were conducted from 2003 through 2015 to grasp the actual conditions and causes of the changes, and to clarify the impact on the townscape. Among those, this paper analyzes data from 2003 and 2006 as the initial change, and reaches the following findings.1) Not only is the tourism industry spreading, but also tourism shops are expanding to upper floors.2) Rebuilding, renovation, and other changes with an impact on the townscape are taking place along with the shift of business type to the tourism industry.3) Many of the rebuilding projects are for conversions into hotels.

Evolutional Steps toward the Post-Western/Non-Western Movement in Japan

This paper examines Japanese past from the beginning of the Meiji era until today in a historical perspective in order to make easier to understand from a post-Western/non-Western approach the processes that took place in this period of time. Initially, Japan began to adopt Western ideologies, technologies and systems to build a modern nation and to make the development of modern architecture and city planning possible. These models continued to be looked at for a long time. From the 1970s, when the years of sustained economic growth came to an end, Japanese began to dismiss the idea of reaching and overtaking the West gradually. They began to search for a Japanese identity. The richness of nature, the particular Japanese history and its specific culture developed through delicate senses were reevaluated. At the same time, the cultural values of the historic urban space and townscape were rediscovered. Finally, the paper examines the idea and method of Machizukuri (bottom-up town-making) originated and developed thanks to the physical and social resources historically accumulated in the Japanese cities.

Analysis of Facade Design of Historic Townscape

Analysis of Facade Design of Historic Townscape

FIRE SPREADING ANALYSIS OF A GROUP OF WOODEN HOUSES IN TOWNSCAPE FORMATION DISTRICT

There was a fire spreading disaster for 18 wooden houses in the historical townscape formation district in a famous spa resort area. In this paper, a fire spreading analysis of a group of wooden houses was carried out under some conditions of wind velocity and direction in order to numerically simulate a fire spreading phenomenon in the spa resort area and also investigate some fire spreading countermeasures for a group of wooden houses and also investigate an appropriate countermeasure for the fire spreading disaster of wooden houses using both fireproof wall and quasi-fireproof wall on wooden houses. As a result, it should be noted that the installation of fireproof wooden wall in every third wooden house can economically reduce a fire spreading area in comparison with the installation of quasi-fireproof wooden wall in every other wooden house.

Revitalizing small historic townscapes in Southern province, Sri Lanka: identifying core elements of town's identities based on residents' and visitors' cognition of towns

This research addresses the issues of preservation and revitalization of small-scale towns in the Southern Province in Sri Lanka. These towns were originated during the colonial occupation in the country in 18th and 19th centuries as service centers along main arteries that connected the main urban centers of the region. Although they currently do not have specific historical monuments, as grouping of buildings and as townscapes they possess specific identity by which one can distinguish them from the similar kind of towns in the other part of the country. However, the pressure for the growth and development has threatened this specific identity and the visual character of these towns. There is the need for the revitalization as well as preservation of these towns. Thus the major concern is how to struck the balance between the need for growth and change and the need for preservation and continuity. In this endeavor it is important to identify what components of these towns are to be preserved and what components are to be developed. The present study attempts to identify the core-characteristics of the physical settings to be preserved as well as to be developed in these towns. Hence, the final outcome of the project would be useful in two ways. First it will provide a basis to formulate a method that can be adopted in identifying the core elements of town's identity in preservation programs; second it will be useful in formulating a conceptual framework for the development and revitalization of these towns with a concern for preservation.

倉敷川畔伝統的建造物群保存地区における自主条例による町並み保全・整備に関する研究

Kurashiki Gawahan Preservation District is renowned as the first implementation area of ordinance for historical preservation of buildings executed by a municipality. Two ordinances have been applied to the surrounding area of preservation district; Traditional Aesthetic Ordinance (TAO) and Background Preservation Ordinance (BPO). The preservation district has maintained the historical townscapes inheriting since Edo Era, and has recently experienced the increasing of tourists. This study aims to clarify the effects and the issues of the local ordinances executed by a municipality (Kurashiki City) to the preservation and improvement of townscape in from the following aspects; 1) repairs and restorations of historical buildings, 2) control of building construction and historical buildings demolition, 3) Recreation of exterior building facade, 4) improvement of street. The objectives of this research are as follows; 1) To make arrangement of the achievements and impacts of the ordinance application to the historical preservation of buildings in the implementation area, and clarify the trend of preservation projects. 2) To point out the roles of the ordinances for each period, and to clarify the efficiency and the issues of preservation and improvement of townscape from the above-mentioned five aspects. Through the analysis on whole the cases of stored or improved buildings implemented from 1979 till 2014 with TAO (179 cases), and BPO (10 cases), this study concludes by clarifying the efficiency as follows; (1) Efficiency from view of historical building repairing and restoring In the year 1979, all the restored historical buildings were limited within the preservation district, but since 2007, the restoration has been applied into the traditional aesthetic district, which has made the preservation of historical townscape expanded around the preservation district. (2) Efficiency from view of control of building construction and historical building demolition At the beginning of enactment of TAO, to avoid the breaking of townscape around the historical district, the building construction has been controlled in the surrounding area, which led to enlarge the preservation district substantially. The efficiency of BPO was the restriction of development by the local government. (3) Efficiency from view of recreation of exterior building facade Due to the improvement of street connecting the preservation district and the surrounding areas, the historical townscape was re-created by the local government. (4) Efficiency from view of improvement of street In few number of tourist-oriented streets connecting to the preservation district, one of streets in the traditional aesthetic district was improved to be a tourist-oriented street based on TAO, which led to increase the number of tourists. Due to the preservation and improvement of townscape based on TAO and BPO, a buffer zone around the preservation district was formed. Especially, TAO has been effective in creating a new pedestrian flow which led to revitalize the surrounding area. On the other hand, this study suggests the issues relative to the roles of ordinances for the future development of the preservation surrounding area by pointing out the possible negative impact of the ordinances to the change of building use from residential-oriented to tourism-oriented.

高山市重要伝統的建造物群保存地区外縁部における修景と伝統要素の利用に関する研究

The preservation concept of traditional landscapes has been widely accepted in Japan. Especially, as of 2015, there are more than 100 preservation cases districts for groups of traditional buildings. However, the outer edges of historical areas have lost their historical resources, such as heritage townscapes, and this problem has not yet been resolved in Japan. In addition, individual historical areas have problems such as excessive tourism development and, depopulation. In this study, we focused on the outer edge of a historical area in Takayama city located in, Gifu prefecture as a case study. In order to develop the area located in Takayama city as a historical landscape,, spot maintenances has been carried out since the 1980s. In addition, architectures decollated with the historical resources were built at the outer edges of the historical townscape area. We collected the spot maintenance cases in the outer edge of the traditional buildings area. We investigated their characteristics and visualized the spatial extent of changes with time. Furthermore, we investigated the use and characteristics of traditional resources in decollated architectures by conducting a field survey in Takayama city.

Preserving Alleyways to Increase Walkability of Historical Japanese Cities

Old cities in Japan are generally planned according to grid pattern and centralised spaces like the public square are not common (Jinnai, 1995; Kurokawa, 1983) Social activities would normally take place in micro-scale spaces like the alleyways, or in privately owned open spaces where people were protected from wheeled traffic. As alleyways ensured pedestrian safety and provided people with walk-able environment allowing people to socialise, they contributed in building tight-knit communities around them over time. However, many roads have been widened over the past six decades. They either lack or have very narrow sidewalks. Without a public square, Japanese cities have far less walk-able areas. In some of the historical cities, the changes have been gradual and there are some alleyways that still remain. This paper uses the case study of old historical centre of Kyoto to introduce the ways in which the remaining alleyways can be used to increase walk-ability of historical Japanese cities while maintaining the historical townscape and original spatial configurations.

Special Issue on Creating Community-Based Robust and Resilient Society

Special Issue on Creating Community-Based Robust and Resilient Society

The Concept of Historic Authenticity and Its Methdology for Preservation of Historic Urban Areas in Chinese Contexts

According to the Principles for the Conservation of Heritage Sites in China, ‘‘heritage sites must be historically authentic,’’ which means that physical remains of heritage sites must be in their historic condition and truly and credibly reflect the site’s historic reality. The concept of historic authenticity is inherently related to the spiritual perspective of authenticity in Chinese culture. This spiritual value legitimizes Chinese restoration traditions related to physical fabric renewal, in particular the processes of replacement, restoration, and reconstruction. However, this interpretation of authenticity could also lead to the inappropriate demolition and reconstruction of historic buildings. According to the same principle of historic authenticity, historic urban areas must ‘‘retain their overall historic appearance’’ as the container of historic information. In order to protect the overall historic townscape of an area without sacrificing its use in contemporary daily life, townscape management becomes a significant challenge. In practice, there is a trend to classify all historic buildings of secondary importance into several classes, according to their physical integrity, vulnerability, associations with major heritage sites, and their contribution to their historic townscape. Under this system, designation classifications would then allow for preservation interventions at different levels of impact, including reconstruction and relocation. Although this classification-intervention method is gradually gaining acceptance in local preservation plans, its impact on authenticity is still a matter of debate. This paper will explain the concept of historic authenticity and its methodology in China. It will compare this concept to the principles of authenticity encapsulated in the Venice Charter and the Nara Document on Authenticity. Finally, it will introduce the classification method of historic buildings and present the author’s comments and opinions on them.

Architectural Conservation in Rapidly Urbanising Cities: The Case of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Dar es Salaam city is changing structurally by replacement of old building with new. Thus, the city is facing challenge on conservation of built heritage due to demolition of historic building and the area surrounding historic monument. Historic building are demolished to pave way for construction of new building for housing and office spaces to meet the free market economy demand. According to the existing legislations, buildings are protected as national monuments by listing individual building, group of buildings or conservation of area. Part of historic city centre of Dar es Salaam was declared as Architectural Conservation area with Government Notice N° 498 of September 8th, 1995. The aim was to protect historic and architectural values of the area. Eighteen years (18) after declaration of conservation area, it is observed that there is increasing demolition of historic building and construction of new building which does not match with existing historic townscape and context. It is observed that, designation of a consevation area has been ineffective, because there is weakness in legislations and institutional framework for management of the conservation area. It is recommended that, national authorities should harmonize national policies and legislations and strengthen institutional linkages for heritage conservation and management.