Urban Heritage and Cultural Identity
Knowledge exchange and learning are crucial and inevitable in a connected world, however, urban heritage which is rooted in the history of a place and a people’s culture is strongly context-based. What are pros and cons in regards to policy transfer? How can policy relevance be linked to a contextual approach? How can we formulate an international urban agenda that acknowledges the importance of urban heritage in its broad meaning and simultaneously be contextualized in the Middle East and Central Asia? What are good practices on linking international agenda to local policy formulation? What are the practical lessons learned? What are the potentials and the way forward?
How can urban heritage and cultural identity be a driver for a city’s development that engages with a broader population and its residents rather than tourist-driven heritage preservation. What are good practices in the region and what are the lessons learned? How can the economic value of historic urban fabrics, neighbourhoods and buildings support local people and residents of the historic city centres? How can qualitative aspects of urban heritage support local people’s economic well-being? How can financial potentials of historic urban centres and the fabric around them be explored and unleashed towards better urban governance? How can managing urban heritage can be viable from an economic perspective if at all? What are good regional practices, or practical lessons learned? What are the potentials and the way forward?
Governing Urban Heritage
Cities are complex systems interconnecting economic, social, cultural, physical and administrative systems simultaneously in one place. Local and municipal governments are a key part of any activity on historic urban fabrics,neighbourhoods, morphology, and buildings. Thus, the municipal governments are often under-resourced and ill-structured within quantitative criteria, regulations and processes. How can measures and strategies for respecting urban cultural heritage be integrated to ‘business as usual’ for everyday urban governance? To what extent are flagship projects and programmes able to facilitate a positive change in recognizing the importance of urban heritage? What are good regional practices, or practical lessons learned? What are the potentials and the way forward?
Potential policy transfer on urban heritage?
While dealing with urban reconstruction – even in a non-historic urban context – in the case that the uncertain traumatic aftermath is complex, the existing historic context of the city adds further layers of complexities to the issue. With ever growing threats to historic cities in the region, this theme seeks to address how the history of a city, its built environment and its people inform urban reconstruction? What are the areas for maneuvering and organisation that must be arranged in managing such reconstruction in historic cities? How can a people’s sense of belonging to a place and historic urban continuity be restored in post crisis urban reconstruction, if at all? In what ways can people’s imaginations of place be captured in reconstruction planning? How can present crisis-related damages play a role and become a reference point in the future history of the city?
Urban economy in an inclusive society in a historic city
Cities are complex systems interconnecting economic, social, cultural, physical and administrative systems simultaneously in one place. Local and municipal governments are a key part of any activity on historic urban fabrics and neighbourhoods, morphology, and buildings, they are often under-resourced and ill-structured within quantitative criteria, regulations and processes. How can measures and strategies for respecting urban cultural heritage be integrated into ‘business as usual’ for everyday urban governance? To what extent are flagship projects and programmes able to facilitate a positive change on recognising the importance of urban heritage? What are good regional practices, or practical lessons learned? What are the potentials and the way forward?
Post-crisis urban reconstruction in historic contexts
This theme will identify/explore the connections between historic urban landscape and people’s intangible cultural identity and their interpretations. It will further examine the correlation of cultural identity with its historic era and its relevance to our ever-changing globalising region. Additionally, it will explore the process of reconciliation between urban heritage and cultural identity in the middle of forces of globalisation and standardisation. How can cultural identity and sense of belonging become a driver for advocating and preserving urban heritage beyond the museum approach and exhibitory objects? How can people’s way of life, customs and ceremonies influence their relation with urban heritage?