"Urban heritage and sustainable development: new functions for historic walls”

1. Walled Cities, Open Societies
Managing Historic Walls in Urban World Heritage Properties
Siena, Italy . 26 – 28 January 2017
Urban heritage and sustainable development: new functions for historic walls
Karim Hendili – Coordinator of the World Heritage Cities Programme
UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Pictures: © UNESCO and Google Images

2. Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in an urban environment.
Several challenges, including the preservation of people’s identity and memory.
Importance to value the local cultures and to promote the cultural expressions in
their diversity, the arts and heritage.

3. Today, urban ensembles hold most of the cultural heritage, whether it is tangible or
intangible.
Urban heritage, in all its forms, has to face the numerous changes generated by the
urbanization and the urban development: its integrity is often seriously threatened.

4. UNESCO’s normative instruments:
- allow not only to define a legal
framework for the protection and
management of cultural heritage, in all
its forms, notably in an urban setting;
- they also hold mechanisms and
operational tools which can be taken
as indicators on the evolution of the
phenomenon of “patrimonialization”
since the middle of last century.

5. How to manage urban heritage ?..
… most represented category on the World Heritage List…
“Historic” city ?
Which “forms” of heritage?
Why protecting them?
Which actors?

6. Urban heritage on the World Heritage List:
421 properties inscribed, .i.e. around 41% of the
1031 World Heritage Sites;
almost 53% of the 802 cultural sites inscribed are
urban (188 properties) or heritage in an urban context
(233);
1631 human settlements (cities, villages, territories,
etc.) involved in the management of 75% of cultural
and mixed inscribed sites.
Urban Heritage Study (December 2015):

7. Conservation of urban World Heritage:
the “limits” of the system…
- Urban development outside the “zones of control”:
institutional and legal issues;
- “Right” of the urban ensembles inscribed on the
World Heritage List to development;
Challenge: the conservation of urban heritage
should be an integral part of contemporary urban
development and modernization processes.
In 2005, the “case
of Vienna” is a
turning point…

8. By its Decision 29 COM 5.D, the World
Heritage Committee also encouraged
“States Parties to integrate the notion of
historic urban landscape in nomination
proposals and in the elaboration of
management plans of properties
nominated for inscription on the World
Heritage List” and also “to integrate the
principles expressed in the Vienna
Memorandum into their heritage
conservation policies” (paragraphs 4 and
5 of the decision).

9. Many other examples… “Okhta Centre” Tower
project in St Petersburg

10. Many other examples… Bridge project in
“Dresden Elbe Valley

11. Many other examples… Pelli Tower in Seville

12. Many other examples… Liverpool Waters
development scheme

13. Many other examples… Cinta Costera Phase
III Panama

14. New concepts such as the “visual integrity” have been
adopted by the World Heritage Committee while addressing
conservation issues involving high-rise or contemporary
architectural interventions in historic cities and urban
landscapes of heritage value.
UNESCO relied on these experiences to conduct the work on
the Recommendation of the Historic Urban Landscape
(2011) which synthetizes the reflection, research and works
carried out since the mid-1970’s on the conservation of the
cultural heritage of cities in all its forms.
The management of historic urban landscapes has to give
priority to increased sustainability of planning and
design interventions by taking into account the existing built
environment, intangible heritage, cultural diversity,
socioeconomic and environmental factors along with local
community values.

15. Resolution 15 adopted by the General Conference at its 36th session, adopted on
the report of the CLT Commission at the 17th plenary meeting, on 10 November
2011.
Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape,
including a glossary of definitions
The Recommendation on the Historic Urban
Landscape is the first normative instrument
dealing with urban issues adopted by UNESCO
since the 1976 Nairobi Recommendation
concerning the Safeguarding and Contemporary
Role of Historic Areas.

16. Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape
In order to facilitate implementation, the UNESCO General Conference recommended
that Member States take the appropriate steps to:
- adapt this new instrument to their specific contexts;
- disseminate it widely across their national territories;
- facilitate implementation through formulation and adoption of supporting
policies; and to
- monitor its impact on the conservation and management of historic cities.

17. The Recommendation is not intended to replace existing texts but aims, on the
contrary, to be a complementary tool that promotes an integrated approach to
urban development which favours the role of culture and heritage in
development policies and promotes dialogue, including at all levels of
governance.
Since the adoption of the Recommendation by
the General Conference, this normative instrument
has become an important tool for urban conservation,
especially for the urban ensembles inscribed on the World
Heritage List where they form the most represented category
of properties.
Historic
Urban
Landscape

18. A holistic approach to urban heritage
conservation… not a “reinvention”

19. Culture is key to what makes cities attractive, creative and sustainable.
History has shown that culture is at the heart (and not “the heart”) of urban
development.
Therefore, how can culture be integrated into urban strategies?
Culture… a key to sustainable (urban)
development

20. Adoption of the 17 SDGs: commitment to ending poverty, fighting inequalities and
injustice, and fostering environmental sustainability by 2030.
The 2030 Agenda acknowledges the integral role of culture
across many SDGs, but significantly, culture is directly
addressed in Goal 11 which aims to “make cities and human
settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.
“Cities are the main entry point for culture”
Target 11.4: “Strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and
natural heritage”
Culture… a key to sustainable (urban)
development

21. UNESCO: lead UN agency for culture
The urban context is directly linked to
UNESCO’s mandate and field of expertise:
- Seventy years of experience;
- Wide specialized professional networks;
- Important set of normative instruments,
including six Culture Conventions
Specific reflection on the urban development issue as regards culture over the last
decade.
The reflection on a “New Urban Agenda” was an opportunity to produce an
unprecedented document:
Global Report on Culture for Sustainable Urban Development
Culture… a key to sustainable (urban)
development

22. The Global Report:
- a reflection on managing changes in cities
with culture as a lever for development;
- intended as a policy framework document
to support governments in the
implementation of the 2030 agenda;
- a key contribution to the common UN
action within the framework of the New
Urban Agenda.
Culture… a key to sustainable (urban)
development

23. Conclusions and recommendations:
Proposal of concrete guidelines to support
decision-makers at national and local levels,
experts and other stakeholders involved in urban
development policies and strategies.
1. People-centred cities are culture-centred spaces
2. Quality urban environments are shaped by culture
3. Sustainable cities need integrated policy-making
that builds on culture
Culture… a key to sustainable (urban)
development

24. Walled Cities, Open Societies
Managing Historic Walls in Urban World Heritage Properties
What is a “walled city” today?
The walls: an urban component or a monument?
What is their value?
How to “manage” city walls?

25. What is a “walled city” today?

26. What is a “walled city” today?

27. What is a “walled city” today?

28. The walls: an urban component or a monument?

29. The walls: an urban component or a monument?

30. What is the value of city walls?
Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town

31. What is the value of city walls?
Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town

32. How to “manage” city walls?
The city walls are not anymore a clear line separating what is inside from what is
outside
The wider context has to be considered: a the territory scale
Important to have a good knowledge of the place and to understand its capacity
to change
The walls tell a lot about the history of the city, they are an integral part of the
city and therefore need to be an integral part of the management and
conservation strategy
The walls can be subject to multiple scale interventions with wide restoration
plans but also punctual projects with strong appropriation by local people
The walls are not only places to see but also places from where we can see
the city and better understand it

33. Thank you !