Suchergebnisse

Whilst it is generally accepted that architecturally or historically significant buildings should be protected in the common interest, conservation policy often raises a series of dilemmas for governments in terms of balancing demands for preservation and change. In 1987 statutory protection for historic buildings in England was extended to the post-Second World War (ie post-1945) era, taking conservation planning into new and sometimes controversial territory. This paper examines the origins and evolution of England's postwar listing programme, exploring the factors that prompted the state to extend protection into such a politically contentious area of conservation policy. Attention is drawn to the lobbying role of influential postwar conservation lobbyists located within and outside state structures in making the case for 1950s and 1960s architecture. However, the politics and practices of postwar listing are ultimately shown to be rooted in the underlying logic of built heritage regulation in England. The paper offers original insights into the state's role as conservation champion and its implications for what gets protected and why from the physical legacy of 1950s and 1960s design.

Redevelopment and growth regimes are often eager to remove the physical remnants of post-war modernism. Largely unloved, and ofter out-of-step with current design principles, the 1950s/60s cityscape is fast disappearing as urban leaders seek to remodel and reimage the built environment. In some places, however, the push to redevelop and reclad the modernist legacy is coming up against increasing demands for the preservation of 'modern landmarks'. Certainly in England, the decision to extend statutory protection to the post-war era has resulted in a series of conservation conflicts over the meaning and value of modernist structures. Taking the contested rehabilitation of modernism as a starting-point, this article explores potential tensions and complementarities between the politics of redevelopment and that of post-war preservation. Empirically, the article is grounded on the experience of two English city centres (Coventry and Plymouth) with historically significant, but challenging, relics of 1950s/60s modernist architecture and post-was planning. The article offers insights into the (multiscaled) politics of urban preservation and the renegotiation of modernist meaning in the city.

The authors reassess the recent history of U.K. urban politics. Following the local entrepreneurialism promoted by the Thatcher governments in the 1980s, they trace the gradual emergence of a more inclusive approach to urban policy. This shift, which began with the Major government in the early 1990s, marks a move toward a more community-orientated vision of social regeneration. Through a survey of the evolution of partnership styles and economic development in Leeds and informed by recent cross-national work on regime theory, the authors provide insights into the structural factors that have shaped the formation, composition, and actions of local coalitions in U.K. governance.