Urban Heritage Protection Research Articles

The Exploration of Commercial Paths of Urban Cultural Heritage

Due to the development of cities in modern China, improper protection of urban heritage has caused a lot of damage. Although the protection of urban heritage has been strengthened after the introduction of new regulations, in many cases due to improper operation or insufficient strength due to various reasons, the process of urban heritage protection is very difficult. Urban cultural heritage is also a unique feature of a certain area, which often attracts many foreign tourists. Therefore, the major merchants decided to develop their products based on the city's cultural heritage in order to attract more customers. From the standpoint of ordinary people, the citizen's perspective examines the purpose, process and results of urban heritage protection, respects the important position of citizens in urban heritage protection, fully considers the needs and feelings of the public, and tastes the public participation in the relevant links of heritage protection. Urban heritage protection from the perspective of citizens aims to integrate urban heritage into daily life, place emotional memories, maintain urban characteristics, and improve the quality of citizens. This article will discuss the protection of urban heritage by analyzing the public, to propose a commercial path for urban cultural heritage.

Exploring Influential Factors for Decision-Making in Urban Development: Urban Heritage Protection and Displacing Living Communities

Rapid urbanization is one of the main characteristics of the 21st century. Urban systems are critical in creating urban displacements during such rapid processes. In most cases, urban displacements are triggers and catalysts of some urban crises, generating extra obstacles and pitfalls to humanitarian and sustainable development in urban areas. One of the major impacts of the rapid urbanization process is the process of urban house displacement. In historic and heritage cities, towns, or villages, we see the trend of displacing urban homes as a result. In the name of urban heritage protection, cities and towns/villages are converted into large-scale open-air museums, where the local residents are often evicted. To understand the connections and interactions between urban house displacement and urban heritage protection, this study explores key influential factors of decision-making in the directions of urban development, using the grounded theory for cause extraction and categorization and providing political implications for urban planning and regeneration projects. The case studies for this brief study are three cities of Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La in western parts of Yunnan Province, China. This paper utilizes mapping studies of the heritage sites of these three cities based on the surveys conducted in July 2022. Issues of urban regeneration and displacement scenarios are observed, assessed, and discussed for us to open up further debates on what causes the displacement of local residents in such contexts.

Application of computer-aided CAD in urban planning heritage protection

Computer-aided CAD system plays an important role in urban planning and heritage conservation. When developing new products, the computer-aided system can effectively identify the existing CAD model and facilitate the reuse for design, thus shortening the development cycle, reducing the development cost, and improving the development efficiency. Therefore, this paper proposes a concept of computer learning algorithm and a model of naive Bayesian algorithm, that is, urban cultural heritage is an important carrier of human history and culture. After long-term development and accumulation, the current form and spiritual significance have evolved. Since the reform and opening up, China's urban heritage protection has also achieved fruitful results and valuable experience, thus forming a three-level protection system of famous cities, famous streets and cultural protection buildings. With the continuous maturity of computer-aided CAD system theory in the field of urban heritage, CAD system has deepened the understanding of "culture" in heritage, and the practice of heritage protection has gradually shifted from traditional urban architecture protection to anthropology, cultural geography and other humanities and social sciences. At this stage, computer-aided CAD urban planning introduced the integrity-, diversity- and development-oriented sustainable development of heritage protection, and paid unprecedented attention to the local nature of heritage or the special background of heritage generation. The focus on urban heritage protection has shifted from simply proposing protection practices to the power and interest mechanism behind heritage protection. Only in this way can heritage management truly maintain sustainable development.

Urban Heritage Rehabilitation: Institutional Stakeholders’ Contributions to Improve Implementation of Urban and Building Regulations

Climate change, natural hazards, and human actions are threatening cultural heritage in urban areas. More than ever, building regulations’ procedures and criteria are essential to guarantee the protection and safeguarding of urban areas and their buildings. These procedures and criteria are crucial to assist stakeholders in decision-making, especially when facing rapid transitions and transformative changes in urban heritage areas. Several institutional stakeholders in charge of urban heritage protection strengthen the need for a better implementation of building regulations through flexible criteria to support intervention procedures in buildings with different features and in different contexts. Under this topic, the present study uses a twofold method. Firstly, the authors analyze and compare the urban and building regulations of three Southern European countries, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, concerning procedures and criteria directed to the built heritage; secondly, they highlight and compare the views of different institutional stakeholders from the same three countries, at different levels (national, regional, and municipal), to understand the impact of the implementation of the regulations on the ground. The findings show the relevance of the institutional stakeholders’ views to improve the regulations and their practice. They highlight the need to promote inventory and cataloging procedures, as well as flexible criteria when dealing with urban heritage buildings.

Variables, sequences and routines in the instruments for the protection of urban heritage in Colombia, based on the application of the path dependency model

Resumen La notable dimensión adquirida por los instrumentos de planeación y gestión de los centros históricos declarados como Bien de Interés Cultural del ámbito nacional en Colombia en la última década cuestiona el sentido de la política pública de protección del patrimonio urbano. La identificación de las secuencias y rutinas en el encadenamiento de los mecanismos de protección puede aportar a la comprensión y comprobación de la congruencia de la política pública en el diálogo central entre el patrimonio cultural y el contexto latinoamericano donde surgen, así como su reciprocidad con los retos del desarrollo urbano. A partir de la aplicación del modelo de dependencia de trayectoria (MDT) a las variables relacionadas con el patrimonio urbano, se pretende identificar la periodificación de las fases de configuración jurídico-institucional de las dimensiones de la administración, gestión y manejo de los centros históricos declarados. Como conclusión se pone de manifiesto su poca pertinencia para garantizar la conservación demandada por los sectores históricos, donde es evidente un desajuste entre la implementación y versatilidad del marco legal, a pesar del incremento de garantías para la participación ciudadana.

An approach to public policy for urban heritage protection in Colombia using path dependence (1954-2019)

Urban heritage is a category of cultural heritage. Historic centers are protected by a legal framework that safeguards the values that are the object of the declaration. The study of urban heritage protection policy in Colombia has been limited by the classical perspective. In contrast, this research performs a case study on conservation legislation and the historical centers declared in Colombia as Assets of Cultural Interest (BIC, in Spanish) between 1954 and 2019 from historical institutionalism. The methodology used is the Path Dependence Application Scheme (EAPD, in Spanish), which seeks to recognize the relationships between the variables, periods, and trajectory of the object of study; to demonstrate the hypothesis of this work, namely the emergence of urban heritage and protection mechanisms is due to the debilitation of the law and ideas of historical heritage. The preliminary conclusions outline five periods and emphasize the mutual dependence of urban heritage and protection policies, as well as the recent emergence of citizen participation, and the loss of flexibility and versatility of the legal framework with manifestations of irreversibility in the conservation of urban heritage.

Heritage Exclusivism in Postcolonial Algeria: Assessing Local Heritageness in Annaba, Towards a Holistic and Participatory Approach to Urban Heritage Management

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on urban heritage meanings, values, and management challenges in postcolonial Algeria, and particularly on the question of exclusivism of non-traditional urban places in heritage discourse. In the process of reconstruction of homogenous national postcolonial cultural identities, local heritage views and perspectives are often ignored. This paper suggests looking simultaneously into national policies and legislative texts on urban heritage, and local stakeholders’ perceptions of what heritage should be, to identify gaps and potentially ways to improve current urban heritage governance. The comparison between both national and local urban heritage indicators helps identify mechanisms and impacts of national exclusivism in the protection of urban heritage. Moreover, the result of focus groups and interviews with Annaba’s citizens, specialists, and officials, has helped unravel the potential of a more place-based approach to heritage management in Algeria. We argue that focusing on the local heritageness of undesignated urban places could pave the way for a more forward-thinking, holistic and inclusive approach to community-based urban heritage management. It is a methodology with wide potential in contemporary North-Africa.

Time rupture in urban heritage: based on the case of shanghai

There is a rupture between the past symbolized by urban heritage and the modernity symbolized by urban development. This paper aims to discuss the urban heritage and its protection from the perspective of time, and puts forward the concept of time rupture. A ‘time rupture’ refers to a fault in the expression of time in urban heritage and a discontinuity of people’s sense of time. Based on a case study of Shanghai’s urban heritage, including Xintiandi, Hailun Road and Old City historical area, this paper finds manifestations of time rupture: the fading of local uniqueness, a discontinuity in the urban landscape and an alienation of the man–land relationship. Using a literature review, discourse analysis and on-site observation, this research reveals the specific problems of urban heritage protection in Shanghai. After reflection and discussion on the concept of time rupture, this paper argues that time rupture provides new possibilities for urban heritage and inspiration for urban weaving, which are concluded based on forms of past, narration timeline and heritage images.

Urban Heritage and Tourism Development, Role of Civil Society Institutions “Deshra of Menaa” in Aures Region, Algeria

This study aims at understanding the role of civil society institutions and their initiatives in the preservation of urban heritage in Algeria. In fact, Algeria’s urban heritage is subject to a serious deterioration in several benchmarks that are affected by several issues threatening the balance of its social and economic development. Moreover, given the importance of preserving heritage areas due to their national wealth and the historical, cultural, economic and social values they represent, and the general trend towards the growth of the tourism industry and its economic benefits, it is increasingly urgent to find a balance between the protection of urban heritage and the tourism development. The main principles of sustainable tourism development are the involvement of civil society institutions and the local population in the development process by raising awareness, engaging the local inhabitants in tourism activities and providing sustainable tourism projects that generate incomes. Indeed, volunteering social work is one of the most important development factors in today's societies. To conduct this study, first the urban heritage situation in Dashrat Manaa was anlayzed, and then conducted a field survey in form of a questionnaire. The authors of the study performed a statistical analysis of the collected data and interpreted the results.

Social Media as a Medium to Promote Local Perception Expression in China’s World Heritage Sites

The assessment of public participation is one of the most fundamental components of holistic and sustainable cultural heritage management. Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic became a catalyst for the transformation of participatory tools. Collaboration with stakeholders moved online due to the strict restrictions preventing on-site activities. This phenomenon provided an opportunity to formulate more comprehensive and reasonable urban heritage protection strategies. However, very few publications mentioned how social networking sites’ data could support humanity-centred heritage management and participatory evaluation. Taking five World Cultural Heritage Sites as research samples, the study provides a methodology to evaluate online participatory practices in China through Weibo, a Chinese-originated social media platform. The data obtained were analysed from three perspectives: the users’ information, the content of texts, and the attached images. As shown in the results section, individuals’ information is described by gender, geo-location, celebrities, and Key Opinion Leaders. To a greater extent, participatory behaviour emerges at the relatively primary levels, that being “informing and consulting”. According to the label detection of Google Vision, residents paid more attention to buildings, facades, and temples in the cultural heritage sites. The research concludes that using social media platforms to unveil interplays between digital and physical heritage conservation is feasible and should be widely encouraged.

The skyline as a subject of protection of a historical settlement (on the example of St. Petersburg)

The object of this study is the silhouette structure of the historical core of St. Petersburg, formed by the mid-1950s. The subject of the study is methods of protecting the silhouette of buildings in the system of protection of urban heritage. The study was conducted in order to develop an integrated approach to the protection of the silhouette of historical buildings, ensuring the preservation, maintenance and continuous development of the value features and parameters of the silhouette. Based on the analysis of the tools for the protection of cultural heritage, the most promising tool for the protection of a silhouette organization has been identified – the status of "historical settlement", the subject of protection of which is, among other things, the silhouette and composition of the building. According to the results of the study, an algorithm is proposed for identifying the most significant silhouette compositions of buildings recommended for inclusion in the subject of protection "composition and silhouette of buildings" of a historical settlement, and a silhouette protection mechanism has been developed, including the definition of the boundaries of the silhouette preservation zones and the introduction of restrictions on urban development within the boundaries of these zones, aimed at the preservation and continuous development of the silhouette of historical buildings cities. In order to identify isolated silhouette compositions of particular importance for the preservation of the historical environment, evaluation criteria correlated with the methods of assessing the historical urban landscape are proposed. The theoretical significance of the research lies in the systematization of approaches to the protection of the silhouette in the normative legal documents on the protection of urban heritage, the development of a system of criteria assessment and graph-analytical method, providing identification of the most significant silhouette compositions, their value features and parameters. The practical significance is determined by the possibility of applying the results of the study to supplement the regulatory framework for the protection of architectural and urban heritage. The system of criteria for assessing the silhouette of historical buildings can be used to identify valuable silhouette compositions and characteristics of the silhouette of buildings that are subject to preservation as a subject of protection of territorial heritage sites (historical settlement, landmark) in other regions of the Russian Federation.

Applying Knowledge Graph to Analyze the Historical Landscape Based on CiteSpace

The theory of “urban historical landscape” is gradually emerging in cultural heritage protection and urban planning in recent years. It was first proposed and promoted by UNESCO. In this study, the identification and evaluation are taken as the prerequisite for the protection and management of historical landscape. This paper uses CiteSpace to analyze the map of knowledge data to collect and sort out the global research status of urban historical landscape. In addition, the clustering function of knowledge graph software VOSviewer is used to analyze the knowledge clustering in the research field of urban historical landscape, and the research process and interdisciplinary development of urban historical landscape are obtained, to make some guiding suggestions for the future study of urban historical landscape. The results show that the study of urban historical landscape has experienced three stages. The early stage is the introduction and tracing stage, the middle stage is the diversification and enrichment stage, and the recent stage is the practice and construction stage. At present, it has become a multidisciplinary and multiperspective international research. The in-depth study of urban historical landscape undoubtedly opens a door for the traditional thought of urban heritage protection. At the same time, it gradually turned to more active management of urban historical landscape and also promoted the intersection of city, architecture, landscape architecture, anthropology, sociology, economics, and other disciplines from the side, with far-reaching influence. Reviewing and looking forward to studying urban historical landscape is more conducive to sustainable construction of the future. CiteSpace, as an excellent bibliometrics software, can help researchers sort out and display past research tracks in a novel visual way, to conduct future research better.

A systematic analysis of conservation the world archaeological site al Qal’a Bani Hammed in Algeria

The protection of urban heritage is not an abstract intellectual theory, as it resembles any planning process subject to a set of factors. Those factors are determined in a progressive and continuous way by the actors of this field. If the political decision was considered the main motor of its dimensions and objectives, the technical factor is not less important, it is embodied these dimensions and objectives. In this context this study came to approximate between the Points of View the first and the second the area of conservation the World archaeological site Al Qal?a Bani Hammed in Algeria (PPMVSA). Although their theoretical reference is the same, but technical evaluation has different in determining the protection perimeter, using the geographic information system (GIS) and multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to systematically and precisely analyse the factors controlling the determination of the archaeological protection area, we are reducing the percentage of biased points of view and we propose an alternative to protection plan based on precise scientific principles and standards.

Design Study on the Conservation and Reuse of Modern Industrial Building Heritage

As an important part of the world cultural heritage, industrial architectural heritage is an important witness to the achievements of the development process of human industrialized civilization. With the national industrial structure adjustment and urbanization, many typical industrial factories in China are facing the problem of land replacement, among which, the modern industrial architectural heritage is facing the corresponding problem of conservation and reuse. People’s demand for material and cultural life is increasing, and they are more concerned about the protection of urban heritage and memory, which actively promotes the protection of industrial architectural heritage and also puts forward higher requirements for the utilization of industrial architectural heritage. The research in the field of industrial heritage in China started late compared to that in Europe and the United States, and usually, architects dominate the design of industrial heritage reuse more than heritage conservators. This paper addresses the problems in the process of conservation and reuse of industrial architectural heritage, and carries out research work from the perspective of heritage conservation and reuse design. It analyzes the current situation of industrial building heritage reuse design in China and conducts research on the problems existing in the process of industrial building reuse design. It also discusses the bottom line and criteria for the conservation and reuse of industrial building heritage, and discusses the design strategies for the conservation and reuse of modern industrial building heritage according to the industrial building research results in categories.

Living Heritage in the Urban Landscape. Case Study of the Budapest World Heritage Site Andrássy Avenue

Historic allées and urban avenues reflect a far-sighted and forward-thinking design attitude. These compositions are the living witnesses of olden times, suggesting permanence. However, the 20th century’s urban development severely damaged the environment, therefore hundred-year-old mature trees are relatively rare among city avenues’ stands. Due to the deteriorated habitat conditions, replantation may be necessary from time to time. However, there are a large number of replanted allées and urban avenues considered historical monuments, according to the relevant international literature in urban and living heritage’s preservation. The renewal often results in planting a different, urban tolerant taxon, as seen in several examples reviewed. Nevertheless, the allée remains an essential urban structural element, though often with a changed character. The Budapest Andrássy Avenue, a city and nature connection defined in the late 19th century’s urban landscape planning, aimed to offer a splendid link between city core and nature in Városliget Public Park. The 19–20th century’s history and urban development are well documented in Hungarian and several English publications, though current tree stock stand and linear urban green infrastructure as part of the urban landscape need a detailed survey. The site analyses ran in 2020–early 2021 created a basis for assessing the allées and the whole avenue as an urban ecosystem and a valuable case study of contemporary heritage protection problems. Andrassy Avenue, the unique urban fabric, architecture, and promenades have been a world heritage monument of cultural value since 2002. The allées became endangered despite reconstruction type maintenance efforts. The presented survey analyses the living heritage’s former renewal programs and underlines the necessity of new reconstruction concepts in urban heritage protection. We hypothesize that urban green infrastructure development, the main issue in the 21st century to improve the urban ecological system and human liveability, may support heritage protection. The Budapest World Heritage Site is worthwhile for a complex renewal where the urban green ecosystem supply and liveable, pedestrian-friendly urban open space system are at the forefront to recall the once glorious, socially and aesthetically attractive avenue.

Heritage of (non-)existing cities – on the Polish examples of medieval Świecie and Renaissance Krasiczyn

This article analyses the urban heritage protection and spatial development policies of two model historical urban centres in Poland, whose spatial layout has been erased: medieval Świecie nad Wisłą (the Pomeranian region) and Renaissance Krasiczyn (the Subcarpathian region). Their urban layouts had a significant compositional factor (a town and castle complex in axial plan). The second element important in terms of landscape protection and spatial planning is their history: at the end of the eighteenth century and during the nineteenth century they had to be relocated. The analysis covers the spatial form during the period of their founding, the reasons for transformation, their present-day state of preservation, and the current spatial conservation and development policy. General conservation conclusions have also been formulated.

CONTEXT AS A CREATIVE TOOLKIT FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: PERSPECTIVES OF MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN HERITAGE

Integration into architectural or urban context as an evaluation criterion is claimed to be subjective and hardly substantiated. In spite of its ambiguity, it is generally accepted as one of the basic demands in architectural design. So what the context is in architectural design? The article explores specific understandings of architectural-urban context from characteristic perspectives in urban heritage protection and management. From perspective of architectural heritage protection, context is physical architectural objects nearby, perceived visually in a static mode, and respected in interventions by achieving harmonious relationship with it. From the point of view of cultural landscape, context is an interacting natural and man-made environment, constantly changing according to place-specific natural and cultural processes; its processual character and the accumulated meanings that rise from imbedded experiences ought to be continued in following architectural transformations. Historic urban landscape approach assumes that context is constantly developing through urbanization, cultural, social and economic processes, which cultural uniqueness and identity is saturated by place-based meanings, experiences and emotional relationships attributed by local community, ought to be contributed in present-day architectural transformations. From the point of view of sustainable development, context is an inherited cultural, social, material, economic resource and a source of traditional knowledge, performance and behaviours to be adapted and carried on towards a greater sensitivity to the environment, culture, climate, and place, and for the wellbeing of local community.

In search of resilient urban space : Pest’s city centre at the crossroads of tradition and innovation, 1928–1944

In this paper my aim is to examine the Hungarian architectural discourse between 1928 and 1944, with special regard to the ‘historical’ centre of Pest. The observation is carried out through the review of architectural journals and theoretical essays. I undertake a historical analysis of the various uses and changes in the meaning of the concept of townscape. Analysis of the architectural discourse for this time interval might provide a better understanding of the transformation in the perception of urban space. The examined period can be boldly called the ‘dawn of urban heritage protection’, but also the age of a new urbanity that envisioned the rethinking of urban space through the reconstruction of complete urban areas. This paradox not only had a remarkable impact on rethinking of urban space, especially on determining values, but also led to experimental and hybrid spatial categories. My aim is to study this specific problem of social history, which not only made urban preservation part of the discourse but expanded it more and more as a continually growing ‘set’. This set captures and addresses the diverse aspects of urban life, making the concept of urban heritage even more complex. The fundamental questions of the study are how the discourse conceptualises urban spatial categories, more precisely, how the materiality of the built environment and representations of space are taken into account. The discourse on compatibility encompasses all strategic behaviours that seek to integrate the historic city and the new architectural solutions incorporating the needs of the present. In order to analyse the ways in which the city centre was constructed in the discourse, I incorporate the resilience model into the argument. Thus, the discussion may help understanding how changes in the interpretation of urban space result in a new attitude towards preservation, development or modernization of ‘historic’ neighbourhoods.

VALUE CATEGORY IN THEORY AND PRACTICE OF CONSERVATION OF HISTORICAL URBAN ENVIRONMENT

The paper outlines the stages of the formation of the value category and determines its significance in the international protection system of historic cities. It also traces the transformation of ideas about the value of urban areas as heritage sites and considers the protection of the historical urban environment in the international and Russian experiences. It is found that along with the variety of existing instruments of the urban heritage protection, the requirements for the conservation of regular buildings as elements of the historical urban environment are insufficient. The elaboration of detailed regulations, in turn, provides for a clear understanding of architectural and urban values of each element. The aim of this work is to justify the need to develop a methodology for assessing the value of historical buildings, which should be applied with due regard to the regional or local cultural context. It must be also recognized that the overall goal of such a classification based on the values and the role of elements of historical development in shaping the urban landscape, is to formulate clear rules and parameters for permissible intervention in the historical environment.

Old walls, modern city: research on urban memory of disappearing ancient Beijing city walls

Purpose – Ancient city walls are typical linear space elements of Beijing that represent the transformation of urban form over the past 800 years and have greatly influenced the memory of the entire city. However, recently, most of the walls have been torn down in the process of fast urbanization and old city renewal. The purpose of this paper is to focus on people’s cognition and evaluation of urban memory during this pull-down-and-preserve process. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 380 participants was investigated on a number of issues using questionnaires, including memory case reminders (stability, variability, temporality), emotional bonding with memory case (identity, dependence, authenticity), and socio-demographic variables (age, education, life experience, length of residence). The urban memory cognition model and attitude evaluation value model which were based on Likert scale were used to process the collected data. Findings – In the three aspects of memory case reminders, stability and temporary elements can be most cognized, whereas variability elements are more difficult due to their change over time. As for emotional bonding with memory case, people show a high level of identification with the walls; the walls’ memory being passed down could enhance people’s memory when mentioning Beijing. Further, higher education groups consider the walls’ authenticity to be most important and are unwilling to accept the outcome of walls-ruins parks; older adults have tolerant attitudes to the ruins parks. Originality/value – This study could not only contribute to the excavation of urban memory, but also strengthen citizens’ sense of identity and cohesiveness, thus shaping the spirit and culture of the city. Some findings could provide applicable guidelines for urban heritage protection and contribute a new perspective on the interrelationship between people and their physical surroundings.