When "Bad" preservation is good Stewardship of the historic urban landscape: remapping "Authenticity of Place" with Esoteric Interpretation

Ref.: 220
Área temática: 03 Integridad visual de los paisajes urbanos históricos
Fecha de recepción: 16/11/2008

AUTORES (* Autor principal)

LIM, Jong Hyun * (Estados Unidos de América) - Savannah College of Art and Design
LAMBIN, Jeanne (Estados Unidos de América) - Savannah College of Art and Design

ABSTRACT

Historic urban landscapes must evolve in order to survive. If one of the aims of heritage
conservation is to manage change, how can that change be managed in a way that preserves the unique qualities of the historic fabric yet allows opportunities for the historic urban landscape to creatively adapt to contemporary needs? Through the examination of case studies in historic centers in the US, Europe and Asia, this paper will explore the factors that are impacting the interpretation and transformation of historic urban fabric and creating a more dynamic, flexible, innovative and evolving concept of the meaning of sustainability and heritage stewardship and thereby contributing to the evolution and survival of the historic urban landscape.
As urban renewal devastated US cities during the 1960s and 1970s, adaptive reuse of historic properties emerged as the counterpoint to the widespread destruction. Viewed as the most effective solution for the survival of rapidly disappearing built environment, it accommodated selective change of historic properties and allowed for `sustainability and continuity of urban heritage.' Retention of fabric, albeit in a slightly altered form, tapped into notions of tradition and public nostalgia for cultural `authenticity' which was in direct contrast to the rapid emergence and development modern of cultural influences.
`Historic preservation' as both a concept and methodology is ambiguous, allowing easy misinterpretation and misuse by attempting to curate the `spirit of the times' of contemporary urban historic landscape. The concept of `tradition' as it is currently understood and practiced in academic and professional circles reflects a political `cultural revival' or `ye olde' response to the accelerated losses of heritage. Has this resulted in the preservation of urban fabric but decay of the larger historic urban landscape? Does this tradition-based approach allow for cultural assimilation, adaptation and transformation of the built environment by urban communities? Under what circumstances are different approaches needed or appropriate?
The practice of adaptive use has had a profound impact, influencing not only the physical and the functional but also the visual integrity of historic urban landscapes, where the impact of contemporary design is minimized by utilizing design approaches that adhere to a strict traditionbased vocabulary. The intent of which was to promote cultural identity through traditionally inspired architecture and urban regeneration. During the process, physical aspects of urban heritage have been typologically simplified, morphologically transformed, and utilized as political strategies designed for locally-based and driven economic development through heritage tourism.
Assimilation and adaptation are critical, for the historic urban landscape is an endangered species. Yet, there is survival and there is stewardship, which leads to the question, can `bad' or nontraditional preservation of a site result in good stewardship of the historic urban landscape? This paper will explore that paradox by careful analysis of the interrelationships between memory, tradition, and modern representation to suggest how `architectural heritage' can evolve and find its evolutionary niche in the contemporary urban historic landscape though unique practices that contrast and even conflict with the modern interpretative dichotomy and methodology of historic preservation vis-à-vis `tradition.'

BIBLIOGRAFÍA