Il paper intende analizzare e discutere alcuni esiti dei processi di valorizzazione del patrimonio storico-artistico che, nel contesto della crescita senza precedenti dell'economia turistica - sempre più elemento trainante dell'economia delle città - rischia di mettere in secondo piano tanto le necessità conservative e di tutela dell'heritage stesso quanto le condizioni di vivibilità e sostenibilità sociale dell'organismo urbano. L'industria turistica, infatti, se da un lato si pone come alternativa economica per territori investiti da rilevanti processi di de-industrializzazione, si profila sempre più come un dispositivo economico e sociale in grado di ricodificare profondamente i luoghi su cui si installa, plasman- done non solo l'immagine, ma le stesse coordinate socio-spaziali. Nel quadro di un'interpretazione complessiva del- l'economia turistica come dispositivo estrattivo, vale a dire come un dispositivo in grado di catturare e privatizzare il valore sedimentato in uno stock di risorse comuni, si tenterà di mostrare come la sua continua espansione, a cui le politiche di valorizzazione del patrimonio sono sempre più indissolubilmente collegate, rischi di generare rilevanti effetti di mercificazione del tessuto urbano, che possono tradursi in alcuni casi in processi di espulsione della popola- zione e di trasformazione delle città in veri e propri parchi tematici al servizio della monocoltura turistica.
Northern Serbian province of Vojvodina has had different historical context than the rest of the country during last centuries. Two centuries of the government of Hapsburg monarchy particularly influenced to the creation of the uniqueness of Vojvodina. Historic centers of the main cities in Vojvodina, which are appreciably transformed during this period, are good examples for the mentioned unique progressivity of "Hapsburg" period. In fact, this progressivity was enabled by many significant planning and legislative documents. The process of their adoption and implementation was so strict and far-reaching that nowadays it is hard to notice older urban structure from medieval and Ottoman times. This is apparently visible in the case of the main streets and public squares in historic centers of Vojvodina's cities, which are preserved due to their valuable and representative characteristics. Nevertheless, the historic centers of these cities have also absorbed influences from the latter periods, after the annexation of this space to Serbia. The last period of post-socialist transition in Serbia has been especially attractive for new urban transformations, owing to arising interests for historic centers. As main magnets for new-developed market economy, historic centers have been also in the spotlight of the governments of these cities. They have tried to transform main streets and public squares by using key planning and legislative documents, but results of these transformations can be differently evaluated. This paper basically has intention to present the relations between selected planning and legislative documents from all mentioned periods and accompanied urban transformations in historic centers of the main cities in Vojvodina as a consequence of their implementation. The main intention is to understand how current post-socialist urban transformation generally corresponds to preserved values and uniqueness of such historic centers. Hence four major cities are chosen as case studies: Kikinda, Pančevo, Sremska Mitrovica, and Zrenjanin. Analyzing the relations on these cases, the set of guidelines and recommendations for the improvement of these unique and valuable urban spaces will be formed as a main aim of the paper.
The global reality now living cities is a restructuring of the socio-spatial relations and traditional patterns of living and consumption. The city takes a decisive role in the political, economic and social to seek their incorporation into the globalizing dynamic, which creates the existence of different areas inside the city. The article discusses in general terms the processes of revitalization of the central areas of two Latin American cities (Santiago and Mexico City) and the socio-spatial changes that are generated. For the Latin American case, the evidence shows that the revaluation and rehabilitation of historic centers and colonial neighborhoods to create better places of transit, leisure and life for their inhabitants, involving heavy transformation thereof, with disparate realities, urban fragmentation and segregation gentrification. ; La realidad global que actualmente viven las ciudades implica una recomposición de las relaciones socio-espaciales y los tradicionales patrones de convivencia y consumo. La ciudad toma un rol determinante en lo político, económico y social al buscar su incorporación dentro de la dinámica globalizante, lo cual crea la existencia de diversas zonas al interior de la ciudad. El artículo aborda de manera general los procesos de revitalización de las zonas centrales de dos ciudades latinoamericanas (Santiago y Ciudad de México) y sus cambios socio-espaciales que se generan. Para el caso latinoamericano, la evidencia muestra que la revaloración y rehabilitación de centros históricos y barrios coloniales para crear mejores lugares de tránsito, ocio y vida para sus habitantes, implican una fuerte transformación de los mismos, con realidades dispares, fragmentación urbana, segregación y gentrificación.
Historical centers of many Egyptian cities managed to survive as living cities in spite of physical decline and economic depression. Their fabric carries out the spiritual and cultural messages that communicate with their present citizens. The heritage of these historic city centers are not only Material character, but much more. Generally, the conservation of historic centers is fundamentally different from conservation of single monument. While a single monument can be kept on a chosen state of evolution, the historic centers cannot be preserved in particular state "with exception of the small areas conserved for tourist purposes". The historic centers, as living cities must meet the varying needs of citizens with sustainable transformations. The challenge is not how to preserve, but how to create dynamic living spaces and places that produce rich in cultural traditions that lead organically from the past to the future. The research will study and analyze the historical center of "Rosetta", which is one of the intermediate cities in northern Egypt that has a particular architectural heritage and many urban problems. The city of Rosetta (Rashid in Arabic) is located on the west bank of the Rosetta branch of the Nile, approximately 65km east of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast. Today it is best known for the Rosetta stone, which was discovered in the Qayitbay castle in 1799. The city history passed over many periods of increase and decrease in its importance due to economical and political reasons. Its architectural heritage reveals the influence of various ages, but the most unique are merchant houses and mosques from the ottoman period. The city also has a particular suburban landscape of agricultural land and palm groves that are of great importance. Although Rosetta is no longer a leading commercial center, its citizens are employed in various typical activities, which are mainly agriculture, stocking and processing rice from the Delta, fishing and building ships and yachts. The main problem that faces the historic buildings of Rosetta is moisture from the soil, caused by an excess of underground salt water. The historic merchant houses have been the subject of many restoration projects over the past 20 years, but many of them have regularly been re-damaged by water and humidity and are currently under re-restoration. Unfortunately, some have even collapsed or were demolished. However, there are a number of activities that may take place in the historic buildings no longer used, maintaining the characteristics, such as crafts centers, libraries and cultural places that serve the local communities. Rosetta's historic center future must include renovation and modernization of basic infrastructure and development of traditional production sectors, based on the exploitation of this natural and cultural heritage to promote tourism locally and internationally. Physical restoration of the buildings is not enough to keep the historic center of the city alive, but a project for rehabilitation based on sustainability should be initiated. Not only to preserve and restore the outer shell, but inside the shell should insert some activities, social and economic dynamics that can make best use of resources and potential. The revitalization of Rosetta provides a mix of cultural, social, economic, technical and institutional that needs coordinated investments by the government. Must involve residents, landowners and all those have interest to ensure the careful maintenance and replacement of the elements of the built environment. This does not only depend on the availability of funding but also the specific technical and social skills that make up the traditional know-how. Unfortunately, many historical cities, especially the intermediate cities in Egypt suffer from lack of funds and local expertise. But the main problem is the lack of cooperation between the authorities who make the decisions.
The city of Pavia, longbard capital, is characterized between its historical and artistic values also in the identity of fortified city. The presence of a military wall system originates from the Roman foundation, evolving through the Middle Ages and the Spanish domination with the development of three different circles around the historic center, background of central political events in Italian history in Europe. Through its morphological, stylistic and monumental features, the city wall and gates have influenced urban development and civil and religious heritage, developing a deep system of interaction between city, population and history that has left a marked sign both in the architectural form and in local cultural traditional systems. The implementation of Post-War Regulatory Plans has led to expansion policies careless of the fortified historical identity of the city, sacrificing military memory in terms of expansion and infrastructural actions and leaving to destruction the remaining ruins. In the context of enhancement of Pavia "historical city" identity, the cultural promotion goes through proposals for digital investigation and 3D Structure from Motion documentation of ancient urban walls, with morphological and architectural systems of analysis integrated to historical research, identifying protocols of Virtualization towards possible restoration, urban recovery and cultural enhancement actions.
European countries are affected by various levels of seismic hazard, including many areas with medium to high seismicity. Heavy damage over large areas has been observed in past earthquakes in these countries, particularly in masonry buildings located in historical centers, confirming the need for enhancing the current knowledge on the seismic vulnerability of these constructions, so more informed technical and political decisions towards the mitigation of the risk can be taken. However, the characterization of building stocks for engineering purposes is still an open issue due to the enormous amount of resources that such a project would require. Nevertheless, the availability of virtual images and maps represents an outstanding opportunity for having remote approaches to urban environments. The role of on-site inspections can be complemented or even substituted by means of these remote approaches, provided it is complemented with suitable approaches. The use of these resources is not new, but the critical assessment of their capabilities and limitations deserves a critical discussion. The present paper aims at assessing the opportunities offered by web-based mapping platforms in the context of seismic vulnerability assessment of masonry buildings in old urban areas. After evaluating the advantages and shortcomings of some of the most popular web-based mapping services, an explanatory application to a set of 39 buildings located in the historic center of the city of Leiria (Portugal) is presented and critically discussed, contrasting the results obtained by using on-site and remote inspections. Two different seismic vulnerability assessment approaches are applied and analyzed herein, confirming that web-based mapping platforms can represent an efficient and cost-effective complement to traditional field surveys when the large-scale seismic vulnerability of old urban areas is of interest.
Using the example of three buildings in San Diego, the author examines the negotiations between city officials and local residents over competing images of race and history. He shows how the outcomes of these negotiations are used to support and legitimate economic development and historic preservation policies. His main point is that although policies are depicted as race neutral, the results are often racialized. This happens because of the tendency of routine, institutional processes to recognize the history of White communities rather than those of racial minorities, contributing to whiteness. As part of the process of racial formation, activists counter labels of minority neighborhoods as "blighted" and "slums" with the view that they are attractive centers of business, culture, and tourism.
The private real estate of historical centers play a crucial role in development's dynamics, because their efficient utilization contributes to the competitiveness and prosperity of the territory that they belong to. These real estate in state of decay and quite often under contested ownership, represent an impediment to the implementation of dedicated development plans. The objective of this paper is to contribute to the discussion on the historic centers and to suggest tools and preliminary procedures in support of the local Councils in facing up the problem of the unused private real estate, within a structured enhancement process. Will be used two approaches: one related to legal aspects of the problem, where have been clarified the available legislative instruments , the other which highlights the importance of the assessment process and its contribution in defining instruments used to set up development plans, with specific attention on the feasibility and sustainability of the investments involved in the recovery of these historic areas, eventually with the contribution of private funds, nevertheless the need to evaluate the benefit the private investors will receive in return from their investments. DOI: http://dx.medra.org/10.19254/LaborEst.15.01
Oak trees are emblematic of California landscapes, they serve as keystone cultural and ecological species and as indicators of natural biological diversity. As historically undeveloped landscapes are increasingly converted to urban environments, endemic oak woodland extent is reduced, which underscores the importance of strategic placement and reintroduction of oaks and woodland landscape for the maintenance of biodiversity and reduction of habitat fragmentation. This paper investigated the effects of human urban development on oak species in California by first modeling historical patterns of richness for eight oak tree species using historical map and plot data from the California Vegetation Type Mapping (VTM) collection. We then examined spatial intersections between hot spots of historical oak richness and modern urban and conservation lands and found that impacts from development and conservation vary by both species and richness. Our findings suggest that the impact of urban development on oaks has been small within the areas of highest oak richness but that areas of highest oak richness are also poorly conserved. Third, we argue that current policy measures are inadequate to conserve oak woodlands and suggest regions to prioritize acquisition of conservation lands as well as examine urban regions where historic centers of oak richness were lost as potential frontiers for oak reintroduction. We argue that urban planning could benefit from the adoption of historical data and modern species distribution modelling techniques primarily used in natural resources and conservation fields to better locate hot spots of species richness, understand where habitats and species have been lost historically and use this evidence as incentive to recover what was lost and preserve what still exists. This adoption of historical data and modern techniques would then serve as a paradigm shift in the way Urban Planners recognize, quantify, and use landscape history in modern built environments.
Intensive tourism in historic city centers is causing socio-spatial effects that are already visible to society. This has led politicians and academics to focus on the issue, creating a debate about gentrification in certain central urban areas which overlaps with studies on touristification, understood by some authors as tourism gentrification. This article aims to identify whether sociodemographic changes identifiable as touristification have occurred in the historic centers of two Andalusian cities, Seville and Cádiz, and which we interpret as the replacement of residents with visitors. The work is based primarily on the exploratory analysis of socio-demographic data from the Population Register and data on housing and rentals provided by different sources. The work shows strong indications of a relationship between the increase of tourist apartments and losses of residents in both historic centers. The paper concludes by pointing to the need for further research on this relationship in public statistics that can guide future policy action
Clearly written and with numerous photos to enhance the text, Creating Vibrant Public Spaces uses examples from communities across the United States to illustrate the potential for restoring the balance provided by older urban centers between automobile access and "walkability." In advice that can be applied to a variety of settings and scales, Crankshaw describes the tenets of contemporary design theory, how to understand the physical evolution of towns, how to analyze existing conditions, and how to evaluate the feasibility of design recommendations.
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"Monumental work by leading urban historians represents substantial revision of Impacto de la urbanización en los centros históricos latinoamericanos originally published in 1983 by Hardoy and Dos Santos in collaboration with Gutiérrez and Rofman. Text concentrates on three major topics: 1) an adjustment of theoretical and practical approaches to the rehabilitation of historic centers with an emphasis on policy; 2) the identification of the main threats that historic centers, towns, and cities will face in the future; and 3) the presentation of selected initiatives carried out during the last decade. Well documented with an abundance of footnotes, an appendix of statistical tables, illustrations, and exhaustive bibliography"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58
Tenement houses are collective rental buildings, located in central areas, subdivided illegally, where the service areas and courtyards are shared. The history of tenements goes parallel with the industrialization of São Paulo and the need for worker's dwellings near the factories. The phenomenon spread and persisted through the years. Until 1985, tenancy was seen as an issue to be eradicated. Thereafter -when the political environment opened up- housing movements began their struggle to improve conditions. This research shows in what ways the problem was dealt with and which were the solutions proposed by five consecutive administrations between 1985 and 2005. Through literature review, study of documentation, field survey of housing conditions in tenement areas and comparative analysis of the proposed solutions, the conclusion was reached that the actions of housing movements were the most important factor leading to a guarantee of rights of the tenement houses' inhabitants. ; Los inquilinatos son grandes casas, ubicadas en las zonas centrales, ilegalmente subdividas para arriendo, donde las áreas de servicio y los pateos son compartidos. La historia de los inquilinatos se inicia con la industrialización de la ciudad y la fijación de trabajadores cerca a las unidades de producción. El fenómeno se expandió y persistió a lo largo de los años. Hasta 1985, el inquilinato era visto como una situación a ser erradicada. Después de ese año –con la apertura política– los movimientos por la vivienda inician luchas por mejoras. Esa investigación presenta como el problema fue enfrentado e cuales son las soluciones propuestas por cinco gestiones consecutivas, entre 1985 y 2005. A través de investigación bibliográfica y documental, del levantamiento en campo de las condiciones de las áreas de inquilinatos y el análisis comparativo de las soluciones propuestas, fue posible constatar que la actuación de los movimientos en favor de la vivienda fue el factor más importante para la garantía de derechos de los moradores de inquilinatos. ; Cortiços são habitações coletivas de aluguel, localizadas nas áreas centrais, subdivididas ilegalmente, onde as áreas de serviços e os quintais são compartilhados. A história dos cortiços se inicia com a industrialização da cidade e a fixação de trabalhadores próximos às unidades de produção. O fenômeno se expandiu e persistiu ao longo dos anos. Até 1985, o cortiço era visto como uma situação a ser erradicada. Após essa data -com a abertura política- os movimentos de moradia iniciam lutas por melhorias. Essa pesquisa apresenta como o problema foi enfrentado e quais as soluções propostas por cinco gestões consecutivas, entre 1985 e 2005. Através de pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, do levantamento de campo das condições das áreas encortiçadas e análise comparativa das soluções propostas, foi possível constatar que a atuação dos movimentos de moradia foi o fator mais importante para a garantia de direitos dos moradores de cortiços.
