Cultural Heritage and City Development

DOCUMENTS

URBACT Results Brochure  Read more
URBACT Tribune 2011 dedicated to Local Support Groups  Read more
Final Publication - URBACT Cities facing the Crisis - Impact and Responses  Read more
The URBACT Tribune 2010  Read more
Managing Urban Identities: Aim or Tool of Urban Regeneration?  Read more
Synthesis of Baseline Studies of the URBACT projects focusing on 'Integrated and sustainable development"  Read more

Cultural Heritage and City Development



 

The Cities of Tomorrow reflection process ended in a publication (October 2011) of which the “diverse and attractive” city is one of the key statements. The diversity of the different city areas, among them the inner city heritage parts, is threatened from many sides. Power- and resourceful middle classes may leave inner city areas if these do not provide quality living environment. On the other hand, the improvements of heritage buildings might be constrained by the crisis of public finance but also by too rigid protection regulations not allowing even the most needed adaptation of historic buildings and areas to the requirements of recent times.

“Diversity is about culture, identity, history and heritage.” (Cities of Tomorrow 3.2.1) All these aspects are important for a city to create attractiveness. “Cities have to build on their past to prepare the future.” This is of course increasingly valid for cities with substantial and valuable heritage. Even in such cities, however, there might be debates between the contradictory aims of conservation vs. modernization of heritage areas. An interesting example on such debates is just going on in the Urbanist Blog discussing the radical idea of providing new use to the Ile de Cité in Paris. The question has been raised „… whether French government institutions need to be occupying the most expensive real estate in the country, in places where they play no positive role in supporting urban development objectives … whether the Palais de Justice should stay a complex of courts at all ... or to have socially useful functions other than to serve as a sumptuous decor for France’s elite magistrates.”

There are, however, also arguments against radical changes in historic areas. The same blog quotes architect Carl Elefante: “the greenest building is one that is already built”. A National Trust for Historic Preservation (US) study concludes that “… it can take between 10 and 80 years for a new, energy-efficient building to overcome, through more efficient operations, the negative energy and climate change impacts caused in the construction process.” For a fair comparison, of course, also the environmental resources used for the renovation of older buildings have to be calculated.

The ongoing LINKS project addresses this delicate problem: how can the historical cities take on the dynamism of residential attractiveness while preserving the identity, cultural heritage and historical values. The challenge is to improve quality of life in old centres and to create a comfortable, affordable and sustainable housing seeking out a good balance between preservation requirement and evolution need. Heritage is an integral part of the "living" city, it is a force of attraction contributing to image and quality perception, it provides special locations for many key urban activities and interactions, it has a strong economic potential (and not exclusively from tourism). However, as urban settlements develop, change or grow, a recurrent and ongoing questioning of the role of this feature of our cities is justified. The main challenge for city authorities and agencies in this respect is to construct a responsible and manageable interpretation of heritage areas in the face of contemporary ambitions, development pressures and processes. This is much more complex than the extreme solutions of museological treatment versus unbridled modernization.

Among the already finished projects REPAIR presents an interesting angle to approach this debate via the re-use of abandoned military heritage, particularly focusing on "new" objectives or moral obligations to take energy efficiency, waste management, sustainable accessibility and local employment into account in the restoration formula. HerO  provides a worthy complement here in its search to devise integrated systems of cultural heritage management, preserving and developing historic urban landscapes as a key facet of the dynamic multi-functional city.  CTUR and Creative Clusters, projects from the Economic development and Jobs Pole also make a contribution to this sub-theme on the issue of innovative entrepreneurship in the context of the urban cultural heritage.

April 2012: an interesting article

An interesting article came out in the urbanshapers (http://urbanshapers.info/live/?p=595&goback=%2Egde_97473_member_101720149) about urban street fairs and festivals. These should be public indication of the character and uniqueness of the community – the more so as they are important commercial activity and the best way of enticing people to use the public space. However, street fairs now offer less heterogeneous collections and are not favorable for local vendors to participate. As Mac-Z Zurawski commented, almost any street fair will be filled with tube socks, junk toy sellers, deep fried twinkies and loads of costume jewelry. Instead, street fairs should be a mirror image of the neighborhood. Stands should have ethnic foods-not hot dogs, artists from the area-not Lia Sophia or Home Decorators, etc. The conclusion of the article argues for the re-creationof the street fairs in cities. “It should be unique with diversity of products, variety of vendors and should reveal the distinct character of the neighborhoods. The city should join forces with the entrepreneurs, artists and vendors to provide quality street fairs. The permit process and fees should also be made easy and feasible.  In this modern iworld it is very essential for people to step out and experience the spirited street life.”

News in March 2012

The Fifth European Summit of Regions and Cities has been organized in Copenhagen, 22-23 March 2012 with the title "The European urban fabric in the 21st century”. In this high level meeting the cultural heritage was only addressed indirectly through some of the local leaders who emphasized the importance of inner city areas and to involve the residents into decision making.

Milan Ftáčnik, the mayor of Bratislava mentioned the case of a building which was sentenced by the city leaders to demolition – however, people were asked and voted to save the building even if substantial amount of money had to be spent on it. With this and other pilot projects Bratislava makes steps towards participatory budgeting.

Alfonso Vegara Spanish architect called the European cities as “Living labs” in which many new urban solutions have to be developed and implemented. Cities are for people, not only regarding the life-style but also the productive sphere, the green economy idea. He mentioned Bilbao as an outstanding example to transform a city from its ruins in the 1980s (floods) into one of the most innovative places of Europe. Art – technology – design – eco-technology – urban solutions: these are the five axes for development.One of the interesting innovations is the complete change in the use of the inner city motorways built in the 1970s: these will be turned into "sky gardens", connecting areas for people using non-motorized transport modes.

At the end of the Committee of the Regions organized conference the participating Mayors and Presidents of regions adopted the "Copenhagen Declaration" that sets out clear goals for European cities, striving for climate-neutrality, social inclusiveness, higher investment in human capital, education and health, physical infrastructure and new technologies, as well as better integration into their surroundings. From the list of goals heritage preservation and social inclusion are strikingly missing – probably due to the north-western European (where these problems are less prevalent) dominance within the initiators of the declaration. 

GOOD CASE

In the LINKS project the ULSG of Anderlecht city (consisting of 15-20 people from all 7 departments of the municipality, the MA, representatives of other EU funded projects, Associations of Citizens and other relevant stakeholders) has launched the pilot action of the Promenades, a way to communicate the value of the heritage in the city to the population in a very informal way, reaching out to people that would not accept invitation in an institutional frame.

Considering that residential use is the greatest part of the urban fabric and that most of refurbishment and energy upgrade works are carried out by the owners/occupiers of flats, the aim is to make eco-restoration a realistic thing for all. This can be achieved by bringing eco-restoration materials and techniques to the simple citizens, the target group which is mostly in need of motivation, information and specific support. Complementary to this activity is the preparation of an efficient waste management scheme (for building waste) and financial engineering to achieve mix financing of regeneration initiatives.
Guy Van Beeck project manager of local neighbourhood Contracts, is the professional responsible for the organisation of the Promenades. He participated to the workshop in Brasov and introduced this activity and its first achievements. Doing the Promenades on Saturday morning - he explained – gave the opportunity to meet the working people who would never have been available on working days. By invading the streets with a strange little group of people was a mean to attract the target group. People were simply attracted and took the initiative to know what was going on, without the need to ask for their attention. That gave the professional the opportunity to give advice and support in a very informal way on items such as pollution, rainwater management, public space furniture etc.

Qualicities (Quality - Cities) is a European label established by local communities for the local communities. It is a kind of a reward to the historic cities’ and territories’ sustainable development policies in Europe. Qualicities' label is a distinguished certified mark in conformity with AFNOR, a French certifying and normalization agency, acknowledged worldwide.
Qualicities is a comprehensive project proposed to the European local historic communities in order to help them improve their outputs. It is based on the assessment and optimization of the loca l community’s patrimonial assets and has a wider objective to improve their performance , and to satisfy users.

The local community must set a Local Action Plan targeting one or several activities it considers as unsatisfactory (negative). Bypassing usual endless procedures and legal tools, this Local Ac tion Plan is built in partnership with the tourism and heritage local community personnel. It can be considered a genuine rule of conduct and change.

 


1. URBACT ARTICLES – Cultural Heritage and City Development
2. URBACT REPORTS – Cultural Heritage and City Development
3. URBACT CASE STUDIES – Cultural Heritage and City Development
4. URBACT EVENTS – Cultural Heritage and City Development
5. Other EVENTS relevant for Cities concerned with Cultural Heritage and City Development
6. Useful LINKS for Cities working on Cultural Heritage and City Development
7. Additional Resources

 


1. URBACT ARTICLES – Cultural Heritage and City Development

This is an overarching, 25 page report on the problems and prospects of historic cities, based mainly on the analysis of the results of the HerO, REPAIR and CTUR projects. Historic cities have to establish an interplay between governance and the linked challenges of heritage preservation, energy and environmental conservation, growth and support of commerce and business, social inclusion and community involvement, accessibility and mobility. (The LINKS project extends this list with the housing aspect.) Stein discusses in his article the development process of historic cities (the lifecycle model), the governance models, the main strategic tools, such as the integrated cultural heritage management plan and the method of pilot regeneration action planning. The article is well illustrated by five concrete examples taken from partner cities of the discussed Thematic Networks.

The partners of the Heritage as Opportunity network demonstrated clearly the specific problems of historic cities, especially the conflicts between different demands put on the dense historic areas from the side of different groups. A comprehensive local policy is needed to avoid that any of the demands (from the tourists, the entrepreneurs, the shop owners, the residents, etc) become dominant, crowding out some of the other demands, Key role has to be given to groups which involve all of the interested stakeholders – Local Support Groups in the case of URBACT partner cities. The article summarises the steps (analysis, moving to action, setting up a local action plan) which are needed to arrive to the outcome. Case studies from Regensburg and Dublin illustrate that well designed participation processes not only result in well developed LAPs but also ensure the further participation of the involved stakeholders in the implementation of the plan.

Seeking to extend reflection on managing historic cities in a sustainable and integrated way, this 15 page article describes the evolution of policy and practice in the city of Bruges over the last 30 years. With the centre of the city (not an URBACT partner) designated as World Heritage site, the ongoing debate between  conservationist bodies and the contemporary development lobby seems even to have intensified. However the city can present a robust approach in applying an integrated management framework adapting to changing needs and circumstances, with both successes and inevitable imperfections. There are therefore both important positive and negative lessons to be drawn from this review, particularly for other heritage cities.

Despite the humorously intended title this article has a serious message to pass on . It is based on the REPAIR project's Pilot Regeneration Actions in Florence and Paola in Malta. Both of ​these local initiatives concern the revitalisation of former prison complex's as multi-functional elements of the city landscape. All too often these generally large scale buildings with a very specific heritage value are simply turned into hotels or museums (albeit of high quality). Here both projects show innovative approaches to rejoining these formerly closed areas to the surrounding urban fabric where the new use patterns are relevant to the needs of their local communities.

​ The article examines the pressures that arise in cities with important heritage value. The attraction of such historic urban areas is frequently a positive source of revenue and animation for cities but it also has negative aspects in terms of evolutions towards a solely tourist based functionality - which in turn can seriously disturb the urban balance. Drawing on city experiences from both LINKS and HerO networks the authors make the case for the liveable city based on maintaining functional diversity.
​

This article is the result of collaboration between three networks where the Net-Topic project is in fact not directly concerned with the subject of historical heritage. In this sense the paper examines the complexity of urban identity both from  the perspective of responding to an established and recognised continuity but also in terms of imagining the role of identity as a positive force in new urban contexts.

 

2. URBACT REPORTS – Cultural Heritage and City Development

"The LINKS baseline study describes the challenge of identifying and implementing heritage-compatible energy performance solutions for the restoration of buildings in historic centres. However it also fixes on the conditions to be considered in seeking to extend the positive advances being made in eco-restoration of individual buildings to address the historic city as a whole and particularly focussing on the environmental upgrading and retro-fitting of historic housing stock.

The first section of the document provides a concise overview of the technical questions involved, and the relevant state of play in terms of legislation and evolving urban policies and practices. The situation and goals of nine partner cities are highlighted as basis for project orientation firmly confirming the network objectives. These are grounded in the ambition to extend the scope away from only considering technical solutions to fully encompass the crucial economic, social and governance aspects as part of a thematic area wide approach - reinforcing attraction and quality of life as driving forces for environmentally adapted living in the historic city of tomorrow.

This 17 page document reports on the partner exchanges programmed to examine the social aspects of urban renewal and eco-restoration. The transnational meeting attempted to address how inhabitants expect and want to live in historic centres and how this can be matched with the determination of objectives (including economic) for revitalisation of historic city cores. From the often different perspectives of citizens and policy makers/practitioners the workshop develops some key considerations in relation to citizen involvement, quality and use of public space and attitudes towards motorised transport in our historic urban environments.

While awaiting a fuller thematic report on this issue the LINKS project has produced a summary report detainling the thematic exchange on the topic of Eco-restoration organised in the Greek city of Veria in May 2011. This short overview of discussions gives a real flavour of the thematic workshop with some eye-catching illustrations, revolving mainly around 2 questions:
What do we have to know about ancient buildings to restore them to improve their energy efficiency while respecting their intrinsic qualities?
How can we solve the conflict between heritage conservation and sustainable development?
The full 114 page report by Lead Expert, Antonio Borghi is also now available for consultation  containing an extended analysis of experiences in Veria , methodological notes and partner city cases addressing the topic.

In the context of economic troubles partners will search for strategy to find the right balance between investment and return in eco-restoration projects. Making eco-restoration affordable and convenient for everyone, not just for pilot projects is the challenge we have to face. This is a comprehensive report of the meeting in 20 pages, including summaries of all presentations, round-tables and group works.The starting point is an analysis what the obstacles to the development of eco-construction were at the beginning of the 2000s and how opportunities for “green development” were restrained in the building industry. Eco-restoration became fashionable as ensuring both the architectural integrity and the environmental quality of the old buildings, while contributing to sustainability (lower energy use) and to the employment of people.

Throughout the progress of network activity the City Partners have been mobilised to produce short (+/- 1 page) syntheses of Good Practice Examples and  Pilot Projects. Of course this is insufficient to know the full details of the initiatives undertaken but these provide highly useful reference points for the project and for those interested in eco-conservation with contact details for those who wish to find out more.

  • Final Outputs of the HerO project

To coincide with the  Final Conference of the network, organised in Regensburg in April 2011, the HerO Project produced a final set of documents, presenting the conclusions of 3 years of transnational partner exchange.  Building on the (EU) Strategy Paper published earlier in January 2010, these include the following highly relevant and useful reports providing guidance, recommendations and detailed information on partner city Local action Plans:


The culmination of the HerO project  is confirmed with this publication, a guidebook for  the integrated management of historic towns. The extension and development of methodology associated with World Heritage Sites to historic urban landscapes, and historic towns in general, has been a constant  feature of the exchange and dialogue between transnational project partners over the last 3 years. The end result in the form of a practical instrument for city policy makers and practitioners is a professionally produced and coherent step by step manual – tried, tested and refined by the HerO European cross-section of cities. It is strongly recommended as compulsory reading for all stakeholders involved in the management and development of the historic city heritage which characterises the European urban dimension.  


In the Strategy Paper prepared at the beginning of 2010 in association with the European Association of Historic Towns and Regions, the message was clearly set for EU level policy makers. In this supplementary advice note highlighting 4 key Policy Recommendations, the HerO partner experience is directed to encourage and assist Local policy makers and practitioners to use cultural heritage as an opportunity and a resource on which to construct integrated, sustainable and multi-functional historic cities, responsive to the needs of citizens and wider stakeholders.

This document sets out the orientation of the project to develop integrated future orientated cultural heritage management systems. The underlying motivation is that these should link the preservation of cultural heritage with the socio-economic development of the historic urban landscape in the face of rapidly changing social, economic and ecological conditions.
​
Few official EU policy references exist on the subject of historic urban areas. So together with the lessons learned and recommendations drawn from a review of other EU funded projects (Hist. Urban's and INHERIT - INTERREG IIIB and IIIC, CHORUS and Culture Network – URBACT I) the HerO synthesis highlights the key issues facing historic cities (e.g. protection and preservation of valuable built heritage, proper integration of new development, securing multi-functionality). This results in identification of 3 main target topics for the project, namely:
- Applying an integrated revitalisation approach which balances and adapts the use of the historic urban landscape assets to the different stakeholder needs;
- Protecting the visual integrity; and
- Development and implementation of integrated heritage management systems.

In this Good Practice Compilation produced by the HerO project, the network was very quick to invite partners to identify and present tools and practices adopted in their cities in response to questions of Protecting Visual Integrity and Applying Integrated Revitalisation Approaches. The document brings together 18 good practices on these issues, derived from 9 city partners. The compilation of 2-3 page resumés ( Liverpool, Regensburg, Valetta, Vilnius, Lublin, Poitiers, Graz, Sighisoara and Naples) allows us to have an immediate overview of the challenge faced by each city and the planned, implemented or ongoing actions. Each case is punctuated by links to relevant contact persons so that those who wish to know more, on the Liverpool "Buildings at Risk Initiative" or community involvement with the Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency for example, can have a direct contact with informed local representatives.

The edited compilation is a particularly useful and visible way of informing us of the issues concerning cities in this network and of potentials for intervention:
It is recommended as an inviting compact overview in respect of the two sub-themes covered.

This document of pen-portrait examples is also important as an intermediate step in the development of the network activity. It builds on the contextual profiles of the baseline study and forms a means of comparing the key areas of concern (amongst the partners). In this way, more detailed and targeted cases can be selected and deepened to ensure concrete transfer of operational know-how on sustainable management processes and practice - adopted to (re)vitalise historic urban landscapes.   

The HerO baseline study identified the fact that only few references to historic urban areas exist within the EU policy spectrum. In response to this hiatus, network partners agreed to produce a strategy paper to focus more attention on cultural heritage and historic urban landscapes as an integral element to be taken into consideration in the urban dimension of EU Cohesion Policy. This short and to the point document, prepared in conjunction with the European Association of Historic Towns and Regions (EAHTR), puts forward and justifies 4 key policy recommendations with relevance for the EU level.
​

​ For those interested in the internal workings of an URBACT network and the application of ​the URBACT method to support concrete local actions, this document provides a comprehensive insight. Intended primarily as a guidebook for project partners it gives advice on how to connect the elaboration of Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plans to the process of engaging Local Support Groups to define and implement appropriate Local Action Plans.
​

​ One of the core objectives of the HerO network is to develop, and familiarise heritage cities with, the added value to be gained by establishing Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plans (CHIMPs) as instruments of policy. Based on conclusions drawn from transnational meetings in Poitiers, Graz, Valetta and Vilnius the Thematic Report  establishes the concept as an evolving conclusion of partner exchanges. It explains the structure and steps to be put in place and in 28 pages provides a clear and complete overview of the CHIMP as a concrete tool to facilitate management of the historic (world heritage) city.
​

​ This short but focussed report is a product of the HerO transnational partner meeting in Vilnius in May of 2010. One of the major concerns in the development of historic urban landscapes to achieve a viable city model corresponding to the needs of today, is how to avoid compromising the visual integrity of the prime resource , namely heritage. Using Vilnius as a case for study, the report sets out conclusions on this issue. These result from the confrontation of partner experience and practices with the reality and methodology applied in the Lithuanian capital.

  • HerO Partner's Local Action Plans and "HerO List of Flagship Projects"

As a final reporting of network activity each of the 8 partner cities have prepared a short but detailed description of their Local Action Plans, initiated or supported by the URBACT exchange process and development of practice(14-36 pages). Furthermore in this "fast track" project , the  partners have also looked to the future in creating an annotated list of "flagship projects" where the intention is to continue to structure the treatment of the historic urban landscape, following the methodological framework of Integrated Heritage Management Plans developed and refined during the HerO lifecycle.

LAP Regensburg - PDF
LAP Naples - PDF
LAP Vilnius - PDF
LAP Sighisoara - PDF
LAP Lublin - PDF
LAP Liverpool - PDF
LAP Poitiers - PDF
LAP Graz - PDF
HerO List of Flagship Projects - PDF

  • Final Outputs of the REPAIR project

The REPAIR project held its final conference in Avrig and Sibiu (Romania) on the 15th and 16th of June 2011. In the lead up to this event the network has produced a number of documents which consolidate results of partner exchange and actions, providing results in the form of recommendations (targeting the EU level) and documenting partner Local Action Plans and Good Practice examples. Specific to the project are the two outputs describing Pilot Regeneration Actions initiated in Florence (Italy) and Paola (Malta).

 
This document provides an invaluable reference set covering the range of different policy areas with relevance for the conservation and sustainable regeneration of military heritage sites, and referring to the 4 pillar themes of the project (preservation, energy, accessibility, employment). The material was accumulated incrementally throughout the pattern of network exchange activities and forms the background to the formulation of Policy Recommendations which are reproduced here in the beginning of the report. 


The network deliberated and selected two Pilot Regeneration Actions from partner case subjects to develop and test further the integrated approach and the criteria involved in accessing funding. These reports give a detailed account of the initiatives undertaken on two coincidentally former prison complexes in Florence and Paola. Both seek to introduce a multi-functional solution responding to the needs of the neighbouring community and opening the sites in synergy with the surrounding  locality. These model projects allowed the network to explore the consultation procedures with Managing authorities and key stakeholders while feeding partner activity to develop Local Action Plans.


A short and useful 11 page network overview of possible funding sources linked to the pillar themes of the project  and from the experience of building Pilot Regeneration Actions.

A 46 page report bringing together all the Local Action Plans devised by the project partners as a result of the REPAIR transnational exchange experience . Each plan is reproduced an a concise and comparable format but these can also be consulted as individual stand alone document.

LAP Avrig - PDF
LAP Florence - PDF
LAP Malta - PDF
LAP Opava - PDF
LAP New Dutch Waterline - PDF
LAP Karlskrona - PDF
LAP Kaunas - PDF
LAP Rostock - PDF
LAP Medway  - PDF


A set of 21 good practices provided by the project city partners to feed the process of transnational exchange and transfer of experiences.

3. URBACT CASE STUDIES – Cultural Heritage and City Development

The "Buildings at Risk" programme in Liverpool set out to record and identify examples of under-performing properties with historical significance. From this it has been possible to develop effective procedures either to force or actively encourage their urgent reinsertion in the multi-functional historic urban landscape of the city. The case study provides a valuable overview of the successes and operational difficulties involved in applying such a strategy - unique in the UK, but with important lessons for adoption of comparable measures in other city contexts. 

The City of Regensburg produced the HerO network's second case study in 2010. It explains the process of introducing a key new function into a specific historic monument on a central location in the city.

In contrast to the earlier case study on Liverpool's "Buildings at Risk" strategy which was an area wide initiative, the Regensburg case describes the treatment of a single historically important building. Of course the way in which the building is part of the wider urban heritage is in this context a major consideration.

One of the most significant aspects of this initiative is the decision not only to showcase and explain the evolution of the city itself but rather to highlight the wider aspect of World Heritage. Through this combination of global and city level, the "Visitor Centre World Heritage" becomes a unique physical portal to explain the worldwide UNESCO programme and how monuments, sites and ensembles contribute to this. No other World Heritage city has taken such a step, so this could provide a useful model for cities in similar situations across Europe if not across the world.

4. URBACT EVENTS – Cultural Heritage and City Development

21/02/2012 10:30 - 23/02/2012 17:45   Location: Brasov (RO)

  • LINKS Transnational Meeting – Final conference November Anderlecht (B)


5. Other EVENTS relevant for Cities concerned with Cultural Heritage and City Development

  • "The European urban fabric in the 21st century" European Summit of Regions and Cities. Copenhagen, 22-23 March 2012
    How can we involve the public in regional and local projects?

Almost all European cities face the challenges of social inclusion and the need to better engage with their citizens: partnerships and bottom-up participatory processes can increase people's awareness and support for local democratic institutions, as well as ensuring ownership and more efficient public investment to create cities of the future. How can we help the EU multilevel governance system encourage the dissemination and scaling-up of local and regional best practices to foster democracy?

  • Heritage and sustainable development. PORTO, 19-22 June 2012.

The 3rd International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development follows the path of the previous editions: it aims at establishing a state of the art event regarding the relationships between forms and kinds of heritage and the framework of sustainable development concepts. Environment, economics, society and culture, the four dimensions of sustainable development, are brought here to define a singular approach on how to deal and go beyond the traditional aspects of heritage preservation and safeguarding. On our today’s world, heritage is no longer just a memory or a cultural reference, or even a place or an object. Heritage is moving towards broader and wider scenarios, where it becomes often the driven forces for commerce, business, leisure and politics.


6. Useful LINKS for Cities working on Cultural Heritage and City Development

7. Additional Resources

[Translate to Francaise:] Cultural Heritage and City Development



[Translate to Francaise:]

The Cities of Tomorrow reflection process ended in a publication (October 2011) of which the “diverse and attractive” city is one of the key statements. The diversity of the different city areas, among them the inner city heritage parts, is threatened from many sides. Power- and resourceful middle classes may leave inner city areas if these do not provide quality living environment. On the other hand, the improvements of heritage buildings might be constrained by the crisis of public finance but also by too rigid protection regulations not allowing even the most needed adaptation of historic buildings and areas to the requirements of recent times.

“Diversity is about culture, identity, history and heritage.” (Cities of Tomorrow 3.2.1) All these aspects are important for a city to create attractiveness. “Cities have to build on their past to prepare the future.” This is of course increasingly valid for cities with substantial and valuable heritage. Even in such cities, however, there might be debates between the contradictory aims of conservation vs. modernization of heritage areas. An interesting example on such debates is just going on in the Urbanist Blog discussing the radical idea of providing new use to the Ile de Cité in Paris. The question has been raised „… whether French government institutions need to be occupying the most expensive real estate in the country, in places where they play no positive role in supporting urban development objectives … whether the Palais de Justice should stay a complex of courts at all ... or to have socially useful functions other than to serve as a sumptuous decor for France’s elite magistrates.”

There are, however, also arguments against radical changes in historic areas. The same blog quotes architect Carl Elefante: “the greenest building is one that is already built”. A National Trust for Historic Preservation (US) study concludes that “… it can take between 10 and 80 years for a new, energy-efficient building to overcome, through more efficient operations, the negative energy and climate change impacts caused in the construction process.” For a fair comparison, of course, also the environmental resources used for the renovation of older buildings have to be calculated.

The ongoing LINKS project addresses this delicate problem: how can the historical cities take on the dynamism of residential attractiveness while preserving the identity, cultural heritage and historical values. The challenge is to improve quality of life in old centres and to create a comfortable, affordable and sustainable housing seeking out a good balance between preservation requirement and evolution need. Heritage is an integral part of the "living" city, it is a force of attraction contributing to image and quality perception, it provides special locations for many key urban activities and interactions, it has a strong economic potential (and not exclusively from tourism). However, as urban settlements develop, change or grow, a recurrent and ongoing questioning of the role of this feature of our cities is justified. The main challenge for city authorities and agencies in this respect is to construct a responsible and manageable interpretation of heritage areas in the face of contemporary ambitions, development pressures and processes. This is much more complex than the extreme solutions of museological treatment versus unbridled modernization.

Among the already finished projects REPAIR presents an interesting angle to approach this debate via the re-use of abandoned military heritage, particularly focusing on "new" objectives or moral obligations to take energy efficiency, waste management, sustainable accessibility and local employment into account in the restoration formula. HerO  provides a worthy complement here in its search to devise integrated systems of cultural heritage management, preserving and developing historic urban landscapes as a key facet of the dynamic multi-functional city.  CTUR and Creative Clusters, projects from the Economic development and Jobs Pole also make a contribution to this sub-theme on the issue of innovative entrepreneurship in the context of the urban cultural heritage.

April 2012: an interesting article

An interesting article came out in the urbanshapers (http://urbanshapers.info/live/?p=595&goback=%2Egde_97473_member_101720149) about urban street fairs and festivals. These should be public indication of the character and uniqueness of the community – the more so as they are important commercial activity and the best way of enticing people to use the public space. However, street fairs now offer less heterogeneous collections and are not favorable for local vendors to participate. As Mac-Z Zurawski commented, almost any street fair will be filled with tube socks, junk toy sellers, deep fried twinkies and loads of costume jewelry. Instead, street fairs should be a mirror image of the neighborhood. Stands should have ethnic foods-not hot dogs, artists from the area-not Lia Sophia or Home Decorators, etc. The conclusion of the article argues for the re-creationof the street fairs in cities. “It should be unique with diversity of products, variety of vendors and should reveal the distinct character of the neighborhoods. The city should join forces with the entrepreneurs, artists and vendors to provide quality street fairs. The permit process and fees should also be made easy and feasible.  In this modern iworld it is very essential for people to step out and experience the spirited street life.”

News in March 2012

The Fifth European Summit of Regions and Cities has been organized in Copenhagen, 22-23 March 2012 with the title "The European urban fabric in the 21st century”. In this high level meeting the cultural heritage was only addressed indirectly through some of the local leaders who emphasized the importance of inner city areas and to involve the residents into decision making.

Milan Ftáčnik, the mayor of Bratislava mentioned the case of a building which was sentenced by the city leaders to demolition – however, people were asked and voted to save the building even if substantial amount of money had to be spent on it. With this and other pilot projects Bratislava makes steps towards participatory budgeting.

Alfonso Vegara Spanish architect called the European cities as “Living labs” in which many new urban solutions have to be developed and implemented. Cities are for people, not only regarding the life-style but also the productive sphere, the green economy idea. He mentioned Bilbao as an outstanding example to transform a city from its ruins in the 1980s (floods) into one of the most innovative places of Europe. Art – technology – design – eco-technology – urban solutions: these are the five axes for development.One of the interesting innovations is the complete change in the use of the inner city motorways built in the 1970s: these will be turned into "sky gardens", connecting areas for people using non-motorized transport modes.

At the end of the Committee of the Regions organized conference the participating Mayors and Presidents of regions adopted the "Copenhagen Declaration" that sets out clear goals for European cities, striving for climate-neutrality, social inclusiveness, higher investment in human capital, education and health, physical infrastructure and new technologies, as well as better integration into their surroundings. From the list of goals heritage preservation and social inclusion are strikingly missing – probably due to the north-western European (where these problems are less prevalent) dominance within the initiators of the declaration. 

GOOD CASE

In the LINKS project the ULSG of Anderlecht city (consisting of 15-20 people from all 7 departments of the municipality, the MA, representatives of other EU funded projects, Associations of Citizens and other relevant stakeholders) has launched the pilot action of the Promenades, a way to communicate the value of the heritage in the city to the population in a very informal way, reaching out to people that would not accept invitation in an institutional frame.

Considering that residential use is the greatest part of the urban fabric and that most of refurbishment and energy upgrade works are carried out by the owners/occupiers of flats, the aim is to make eco-restoration a realistic thing for all. This can be achieved by bringing eco-restoration materials and techniques to the simple citizens, the target group which is mostly in need of motivation, information and specific support. Complementary to this activity is the preparation of an efficient waste management scheme (for building waste) and financial engineering to achieve mix financing of regeneration initiatives.
Guy Van Beeck project manager of local neighbourhood Contracts, is the professional responsible for the organisation of the Promenades. He participated to the workshop in Brasov and introduced this activity and its first achievements. Doing the Promenades on Saturday morning - he explained – gave the opportunity to meet the working people who would never have been available on working days. By invading the streets with a strange little group of people was a mean to attract the target group. People were simply attracted and took the initiative to know what was going on, without the need to ask for their attention. That gave the professional the opportunity to give advice and support in a very informal way on items such as pollution, rainwater management, public space furniture etc.

Qualicities (Quality - Cities) is a European label established by local communities for the local communities. It is a kind of a reward to the historic cities’ and territories’ sustainable development policies in Europe. Qualicities' label is a distinguished certified mark in conformity with AFNOR, a French certifying and normalization agency, acknowledged worldwide.
Qualicities is a comprehensive project proposed to the European local historic communities in order to help them improve their outputs. It is based on the assessment and optimization of the loca l community’s patrimonial assets and has a wider objective to improve their performance , and to satisfy users.

The local community must set a Local Action Plan targeting one or several activities it considers as unsatisfactory (negative). Bypassing usual endless procedures and legal tools, this Local Ac tion Plan is built in partnership with the tourism and heritage local community personnel. It can be considered a genuine rule of conduct and change.

 


1. URBACT ARTICLES – Cultural Heritage and City Development
2. URBACT REPORTS – Cultural Heritage and City Development
3. URBACT CASE STUDIES – Cultural Heritage and City Development
4. URBACT EVENTS – Cultural Heritage and City Development
5. Other EVENTS relevant for Cities concerned with Cultural Heritage and City Development
6. Useful LINKS for Cities working on Cultural Heritage and City Development
7. Additional Resources

 


1. URBACT ARTICLES – Cultural Heritage and City Development

This is an overarching, 25 page report on the problems and prospects of historic cities, based mainly on the analysis of the results of the HerO, REPAIR and CTUR projects. Historic cities have to establish an interplay between governance and the linked challenges of heritage preservation, energy and environmental conservation, growth and support of commerce and business, social inclusion and community involvement, accessibility and mobility. (The LINKS project extends this list with the housing aspect.) Stein discusses in his article the development process of historic cities (the lifecycle model), the governance models, the main strategic tools, such as the integrated cultural heritage management plan and the method of pilot regeneration action planning. The article is well illustrated by five concrete examples taken from partner cities of the discussed Thematic Networks.

The partners of the Heritage as Opportunity network demonstrated clearly the specific problems of historic cities, especially the conflicts between different demands put on the dense historic areas from the side of different groups. A comprehensive local policy is needed to avoid that any of the demands (from the tourists, the entrepreneurs, the shop owners, the residents, etc) become dominant, crowding out some of the other demands, Key role has to be given to groups which involve all of the interested stakeholders – Local Support Groups in the case of URBACT partner cities. The article summarises the steps (analysis, moving to action, setting up a local action plan) which are needed to arrive to the outcome. Case studies from Regensburg and Dublin illustrate that well designed participation processes not only result in well developed LAPs but also ensure the further participation of the involved stakeholders in the implementation of the plan.

Seeking to extend reflection on managing historic cities in a sustainable and integrated way, this 15 page article describes the evolution of policy and practice in the city of Bruges over the last 30 years. With the centre of the city (not an URBACT partner) designated as World Heritage site, the ongoing debate between  conservationist bodies and the contemporary development lobby seems even to have intensified. However the city can present a robust approach in applying an integrated management framework adapting to changing needs and circumstances, with both successes and inevitable imperfections. There are therefore both important positive and negative lessons to be drawn from this review, particularly for other heritage cities.

Despite the humorously intended title this article has a serious message to pass on . It is based on the REPAIR project's Pilot Regeneration Actions in Florence and Paola in Malta. Both of ​these local initiatives concern the revitalisation of former prison complex's as multi-functional elements of the city landscape. All too often these generally large scale buildings with a very specific heritage value are simply turned into hotels or museums (albeit of high quality). Here both projects show innovative approaches to rejoining these formerly closed areas to the surrounding urban fabric where the new use patterns are relevant to the needs of their local communities.

​The article examines the pressures that arise in cities with important heritage value. The attraction of such historic urban areas is frequently a positive source of revenue and animation for cities but it also has negative aspects in terms of evolutions towards a solely tourist based functionality - which in turn can seriously disturb the urban balance. Drawing on city experiences from both LINKS and HerO networks the authors make the case for the liveable city based on maintaining functional diversity.
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This article is the result of collaboration between three networks where the Net-Topic project is in fact not directly concerned with the subject of historical heritage. In this sense the paper examines the complexity of urban identity both from  the perspective of responding to an established and recognised continuity but also in terms of imagining the role of identity as a positive force in new urban contexts.

 

2. URBACT REPORTS – Cultural Heritage and City Development

"The LINKS baseline study describes the challenge of identifying and implementing heritage-compatible energy performance solutions for the restoration of buildings in historic centres. However it also fixes on the conditions to be considered in seeking to extend the positive advances being made in eco-restoration of individual buildings to address the historic city as a whole and particularly focussing on the environmental upgrading and retro-fitting of historic housing stock.

The first section of the document provides a concise overview of the technical questions involved, and the relevant state of play in terms of legislation and evolving urban policies and practices. The situation and goals of nine partner cities are highlighted as basis for project orientation firmly confirming the network objectives. These are grounded in the ambition to extend the scope away from only considering technical solutions to fully encompass the crucial economic, social and governance aspects as part of a thematic area wide approach - reinforcing attraction and quality of life as driving forces for environmentally adapted living in the historic city of tomorrow.

This 17 page document reports on the partner exchanges programmed to examine the social aspects of urban renewal and eco-restoration. The transnational meeting attempted to address how inhabitants expect and want to live in historic centres and how this can be matched with the determination of objectives (including economic) for revitalisation of historic city cores. From the often different perspectives of citizens and policy makers/practitioners the workshop develops some key considerations in relation to citizen involvement, quality and use of public space and attitudes towards motorised transport in our historic urban environments.

While awaiting a fuller thematic report on this issue the LINKS project has produced a summary report detainling the thematic exchange on the topic of Eco-restoration organised in the Greek city of Veria in May 2011. This short overview of discussions gives a real flavour of the thematic workshop with some eye-catching illustrations, revolving mainly around 2 questions:
What do we have to know about ancient buildings to restore them to improve their energy efficiency while respecting their intrinsic qualities?
How can we solve the conflict between heritage conservation and sustainable development?
The full 114 page report by Lead Expert, Antonio Borghi is also now available for consultation  containing an extended analysis of experiences in Veria , methodological notes and partner city cases addressing the topic.

In the context of economic troubles partners will search for strategy to find the right balance between investment and return in eco-restoration projects. Making eco-restoration affordable and convenient for everyone, not just for pilot projects is the challenge we have to face. This is a comprehensive report of the meeting in 20 pages, including summaries of all presentations, round-tables and group works.The starting point is an analysis what the obstacles to the development of eco-construction were at the beginning of the 2000s and how opportunities for “green development” were restrained in the building industry. Eco-restoration became fashionable as ensuring both the architectural integrity and the environmental quality of the old buildings, while contributing to sustainability (lower energy use) and to the employment of people.

Throughout the progress of network activity the City Partners have been mobilised to produce short (+/- 1 page) syntheses of Good Practice Examples and  Pilot Projects. Of course this is insufficient to know the full details of the initiatives undertaken but these provide highly useful reference points for the project and for those interested in eco-conservation with contact details for those who wish to find out more.

  • Final Outputs of the HerO project

To coincide with the  Final Conference of the network, organised in Regensburg in April 2011, the HerO Project produced a final set of documents, presenting the conclusions of 3 years of transnational partner exchange.  Building on the (EU) Strategy Paper published earlier in January 2010, these include the following highly relevant and useful reports providing guidance, recommendations and detailed information on partner city Local action Plans:


The culmination of the HerO project  is confirmed with this publication, a guidebook for  the integrated management of historic towns. The extension and development of methodology associated with World Heritage Sites to historic urban landscapes, and historic towns in general, has been a constant  feature of the exchange and dialogue between transnational project partners over the last 3 years. The end result in the form of a practical instrument for city policy makers and practitioners is a professionally produced and coherent step by step manual – tried, tested and refined by the HerO European cross-section of cities. It is strongly recommended as compulsory reading for all stakeholders involved in the management and development of the historic city heritage which characterises the European urban dimension.  


In the Strategy Paper prepared at the beginning of 2010 in association with the European Association of Historic Towns and Regions, the message was clearly set for EU level policy makers. In this supplementary advice note highlighting 4 key Policy Recommendations, the HerO partner experience is directed to encourage and assist Local policy makers and practitioners to use cultural heritage as an opportunity and a resource on which to construct integrated, sustainable and multi-functional historic cities, responsive to the needs of citizens and wider stakeholders.

This document sets out the orientation of the project to develop integrated future orientated cultural heritage management systems. The underlying motivation is that these should link the preservation of cultural heritage with the socio-economic development of the historic urban landscape in the face of rapidly changing social, economic and ecological conditions.
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Few official EU policy references exist on the subject of historic urban areas. So together with the lessons learned and recommendations drawn from a review of other EU funded projects (Hist. Urban's and INHERIT - INTERREG IIIB and IIIC, CHORUS and Culture Network – URBACT I) the HerO synthesis highlights the key issues facing historic cities (e.g. protection and preservation of valuable built heritage, proper integration of new development, securing multi-functionality). This results in identification of 3 main target topics for the project, namely:
- Applying an integrated revitalisation approach which balances and adapts the use of the historic urban landscape assets to the different stakeholder needs;
- Protecting the visual integrity; and
- Development and implementation of integrated heritage management systems.

  • HerO "Good Practice Compilation" Sustainable Management Strategies for Vital Historic Urban Landscapes

In this Good Practice Compilation produced by the HerO project, the network was very quick to invite partners to identify and present tools and practices adopted in their cities in response to questions of Protecting Visual Integrity and Applying Integrated Revitalisation Approaches. The document brings together 18 good practices on these issues, derived from 9 city partners. The compilation of 2-3 page resumés ( Liverpool, Regensburg, Valetta, Vilnius, Lublin, Poitiers, Graz, Sighisoara and Naples) allows us to have an immediate overview of the challenge faced by each city and the planned, implemented or ongoing actions. Each case is punctuated by links to relevant contact persons so that those who wish to know more, on the Liverpool "Buildings at Risk Initiative" or community involvement with the Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency for example, can have a direct contact with informed local representatives.

The edited compilation is a particularly useful and visible way of informing us of the issues concerning cities in this network and of potentials for intervention:
It is recommended as an inviting compact overview in respect of the two sub-themes covered.

This document of pen-portrait examples is also important as an intermediate step in the development of the network activity. It builds on the contextual profiles of the baseline study and forms a means of comparing the key areas of concern (amongst the partners). In this way, more detailed and targeted cases can be selected and deepened to ensure concrete transfer of operational know-how on sustainable management processes and practice - adopted to (re)vitalise historic urban landscapes.   

The HerO baseline study identified the fact that only few references to historic urban areas exist within the EU policy spectrum. In response to this hiatus, network partners agreed to produce a strategy paper to focus more attention on cultural heritage and historic urban landscapes as an integral element to be taken into consideration in the urban dimension of EU Cohesion Policy. This short and to the point document, prepared in conjunction with the European Association of Historic Towns and Regions (EAHTR), puts forward and justifies 4 key policy recommendations with relevance for the EU level.
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​For those interested in the internal workings of an URBACT network and the application of ​the URBACT method to support concrete local actions, this document provides a comprehensive insight. Intended primarily as a guidebook for project partners it gives advice on how to connect the elaboration of Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plans to the process of engaging Local Support Groups to define and implement appropriate Local Action Plans.
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​One of the core objectives of the HerO network is to develop, and familiarise heritage cities with, the added value to be gained by establishing Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plans (CHIMPs) as instruments of policy. Based on conclusions drawn from transnational meetings in Poitiers, Graz, Valetta and Vilnius the Thematic Report  establishes the concept as an evolving conclusion of partner exchanges. It explains the structure and steps to be put in place and in 28 pages provides a clear and complete overview of the CHIMP as a concrete tool to facilitate management of the historic (world heritage) city.
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​This short but focussed report is a product of the HerO transnational partner meeting in Vilnius in May of 2010. One of the major concerns in the development of historic urban landscapes to achieve a viable city model corresponding to the needs of today, is how to avoid compromising the visual integrity of the prime resource , namely heritage. Using Vilnius as a case for study, the report sets out conclusions on this issue. These result from the confrontation of partner experience and practices with the reality and methodology applied in the Lithuanian capital.

  • HerO Partner's Local Action Plans and "HerO List of Flagship Projects"

As a final reporting of network activity each of the 8 partner cities have prepared a short but detailed description of their Local Action Plans, initiated or supported by the URBACT exchange process and development of practice(14-36 pages). Furthermore in this "fast track" project , the  partners have also looked to the future in creating an annotated list of "flagship projects" where the intention is to continue to structure the treatment of the historic urban landscape, following the methodological framework of Integrated Heritage Management Plans developed and refined during the HerO lifecycle.

LAP Regensburg - PDF
LAP Naples - PDF
LAP Vilnius - PDF
LAP Sighisoara - PDF
LAP Lublin - PDF
LAP Liverpool - PDF
LAP Poitiers - PDF
LAP Graz - PDF
HerO List of Flagship Projects - PDF

  • Final Outputs of the REPAIR project

The REPAIR project held its final conference in Avrig and Sibiu (Romania) on the 15th and 16th of June 2011. In the lead up to this event the network has produced a number of documents which consolidate results of partner exchange and actions, providing results in the form of recommendations (targeting the EU level) and documenting partner Local Action Plans and Good Practice examples. Specific to the project are the two outputs describing Pilot Regeneration Actions initiated in Florence (Italy) and Paola (Malta).

 
This document provides an invaluable reference set covering the range of different policy areas with relevance for the conservation and sustainable regeneration of military heritage sites, and referring to the 4 pillar themes of the project (preservation, energy, accessibility, employment). The material was accumulated incrementally throughout the pattern of network exchange activities and forms the background to the formulation of Policy Recommendations which are reproduced here in the beginning of the report. 


The network deliberated and selected two Pilot Regeneration Actions from partner case subjects to develop and test further the integrated approach and the criteria involved in accessing funding. These reports give a detailed account of the initiatives undertaken on two coincidentally former prison complexes in Florence and Paola. Both seek to introduce a multi-functional solution responding to the needs of the neighbouring community and opening the sites in synergy with the surrounding  locality. These model projects allowed the network to explore the consultation procedures with Managing authorities and key stakeholders while feeding partner activity to develop Local Action Plans.


A short and useful 11 page network overview of possible funding sources linked to the pillar themes of the project  and from the experience of building Pilot Regeneration Actions.

A 46 page report bringing together all the Local Action Plans devised by the project partners as a result of the REPAIR transnational exchange experience . Each plan is reproduced an a concise and comparable format but these can also be consulted as individual stand alone document.

LAP Avrig - PDF
LAP Florence - PDF
LAP Malta - PDF
LAP Opava - PDF
LAP New Dutch Waterline - PDF
LAP Karlskrona - PDF
LAP Kaunas - PDF
LAP Rostock - PDF
LAP Medway  - PDF


A set of 21 good practices provided by the project city partners to feed the process of transnational exchange and transfer of experiences.

3. URBACT CASE STUDIES – Cultural Heritage and City Development

The "Buildings at Risk" programme in Liverpool set out to record and identify examples of under-performing properties with historical significance. From this it has been possible to develop effective procedures either to force or actively encourage their urgent reinsertion in the multi-functional historic urban landscape of the city. The case study provides a valuable overview of the successes and operational difficulties involved in applying such a strategy - unique in the UK, but with important lessons for adoption of comparable measures in other city contexts. 

The City of Regensburg produced the HerO network's second case study in 2010. It explains the process of introducing a key new function into a specific historic monument on a central location in the city.

In contrast to the earlier case study on Liverpool's "Buildings at Risk" strategy which was an area wide initiative, the Regensburg case describes the treatment of a single historically important building. Of course the way in which the building is part of the wider urban heritage is in this context a major consideration.

One of the most significant aspects of this initiative is the decision not only to showcase and explain the evolution of the city itself but rather to highlight the wider aspect of World Heritage. Through this combination of global and city level, the "Visitor Centre World Heritage" becomes a unique physical portal to explain the worldwide UNESCO programme and how monuments, sites and ensembles contribute to this. No other World Heritage city has taken such a step, so this could provide a useful model for cities in similar situations across Europe if not across the world.

4. URBACT EVENTS – Cultural Heritage and City Development

21/02/2012 10:30 - 23/02/2012 17:45   Location: Brasov (RO)

 

  • LINKS Transnational Meeting – Final conference November Anderlecht (B)


5. Other EVENTS relevant for Cities concerned with Cultural Heritage and City Development

  • "The European urban fabric in the 21st century" European Summit of Regions and Cities. Copenhagen, 22-23 March 2012
    How can we involve the public in regional and local projects?

Almost all European cities face the challenges of social inclusion and the need to better engage with their citizens: partnerships and bottom-up participatory processes can increase people's awareness and support for local democratic institutions, as well as ensuring ownership and more efficient public investment to create cities of the future. How can we help the EU multilevel governance system encourage the dissemination and scaling-up of local and regional best practices to foster democracy?

  • Heritage and sustainable development. PORTO, 19-22 June 2012.

The 3rd International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development follows the path of the previous editions: it aims at establishing a state of the art event regarding the relationships between forms and kinds of heritage and the framework of sustainable development concepts. Environment, economics, society and culture, the four dimensions of sustainable development, are brought here to define a singular approach on how to deal and go beyond the traditional aspects of heritage preservation and safeguarding. On our today’s world, heritage is no longer just a memory or a cultural reference, or even a place or an object. Heritage is moving towards broader and wider scenarios, where it becomes often the driven forces for commerce, business, leisure and politics.


6. Useful LINKS for Cities working on Cultural Heritage and City Development

7. Additional Resources