ECONOMICS OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION: RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE MODERN URBANISING WORLD

Ref.: 121
Área temática: 04 Sin asignar
Fecha de recepción: 31/10/2008

AUTORES (* Autor principal)

Steekelenburg, Esther Van * - Urban Solutions (Países Bajos)

EVALUACIÓN FINAL DEL COMITÉ CIENTÍFICO: Pendiente

ABSTRACT

Much is known and published on the cultural, social, and historic value of heritage conservation. Traditionally cultural heritage is indeed the playing field of art historians, conservators, archaeologists, museum directors, architects and similar professionals who tend to fear the economic dimension in the debate.

Often it is only with reference to heritage tourism that numbers enter the picture. Heritage tourism has already shown the potential to deliver economic benefits in terms of jobs and infrastructure, but in some instances it has also led to a loss of identity of heritage sites. In the analysis of the positive and negative aspects of heritage tourism development the economic dimension can no longer be ignored.

This paper argues that to safeguard built heritage in the rapidly urbanising 21st century it has become essential that we pay increasing attention to the economic value of heritage. Only if we can fully explore the development potential of heritage assets in economic terms we can remain players in the game of heritage preservation in the urban development context. The importance of heritage conservation is apparent, however it must compete with other interests on many fronts, developers looking for high returns on investment, government funding bodies with priority issues such as unemployment, education and health and communities who want a safe living environment and economic progress.
In recent years among economists cultural capital has become an issue of increasing interest. Research is ongoing to find ways to measure this cultural capital i.e. put an economic value on heritage assets. Actors in the business of heritage conservation should become full partners in this debate so going forward we can find ways to measure and communicate both the intrinsic value of heritage and its economic benefits to developers, government officials and the wider community. Heritage economics can facilitate such communication and may also lead to the development of new ways of ensuring the viability of heritage.

This is of particular relevance when discussing preservation of cultural heritage in an urban environment. Like many cities in Asia, Hanoi needs to find a balance between preservation of the old and facilitate for modern urban growth and development. For today's urban managers and heritage conservationists who want to safeguard the city's identity and important heritage buildings it is crucial to understand all aspects of this debate and also be able to speak the language of economics.

Using examples from heritage conservation projects in Europe and Asia (including Hue and Hanoi) this paper explores the economic dimension of heritage conservation and explains the steps that can be taken for built heritage to be translated into business assets in today's urban environment.

BIBLIOGRAFÍA

· Hutter, Michael & Rizzo, Ilde (eds.) (1997). Economic Perspectives on Cultural Heritage. St. Martin's Press.
· Nypan, Terje (2004). Cultural Heritage Monuments and Historic Buildings as Value Generators in a Post-industrial Economy. Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Norway.
· Rypkema, Donovan (1991). The Economics of Rehabilitation. Washington DC: National Trust for Historic Preservation.
· Rypkema, Donovan (1994). The Economics of Historic Preservation: a Community Leader's Guide. Washington DC: National Trust for Historic Preservation (updated 2005).
· Torre, Marta de la (ed.) (2002). Assessing the Values of Cultural Heritage. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute.
· Urban Solutions/Vietnam Institute for Conservation of Monuments (2007) Urban Heritage Management in Vietnam: An Introduction Manual for Planners.