No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Applying Heritage Impact Assessment to Urban Development: World Heritage Property of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan in Iran
Abstract
Despite cultural heritage has being affected by construction and infrastructure projects associated with urban development in historic cities worldwide, protection of such irreplaceable assets and their associated values has not been adequately addressed through a comprehensive methodology of impact assessment. This paper aims to review the existing methodologies, approaches, and tools regarding Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) methodology, and to develop an impact assessment procedure in the context of new urban development. The methodology is applied to the case of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan. The required data is collected through a fieldwork for identification and classification of impacts of Atiq project on the property. Subsequently, the collected data is analysed through impact assessment matrix, and eventually, appropriated mitigation strategies to reduce negative impacts on the property are determined. The proposed impact assessment methodology in the HIA procedure provides a systematic framework for identifying, assessing and mitigating potential impacts of new urban development on cultural heritage properties, which is supportive for urban planners, cultural decision makers, heritage conservators and experts toward developing more integrated approach to heritage protection in context of sustainable development.
... The HUL tools should involve diverse stakeholders, aiming to empower them. Therefore, the recognition and safeguard of urban heritage buildings in their different spheres and scopes, as requested in most of the guidelines recommended by worldwide organizations, such as UNESCO, ICOMOS and ICCROM, involve diverse processes to identify its attributes and their authenticity and integrity (ICOMOS, 2011;Patiwael et al., 2019;Petti et al., 2019;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;WHC, 2020c). ...
... The results show that MAHT allows to gather data and perform statistical treatment, two necessary actions to i) assess urban heritage, namely the general state of conservation of the buildings and the residents' needs, establishing a systematic monitoring procedure that opens a path to prevent an HIA procedure (ICOMOS, 2011;WHC, 2020b;Patiwael et al., 2019;Ashrafi et al., 2021); ii) mitigate potential negative impacts in urban buildings, especially when located, in WH Cities and buffer zones (Guzmán et al., 2017;Sesana et al., 2020;WHC, 2020c), namely those linked to urban development pressures (Ashrafi et al., 2021;Sesana et al., 2020;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;Wardekker et al., 2020;Ž ydrūnė, 2020); and iii) prioritize the intervention actions, according to the results of the assessment of urban buildings and data processing (Ornelas et al., 2021;Tarrafa Silva, 2020). MAHT also allows policy makers, in charge of urban planning and management, to feed the existing territorial plans and management instruments (e.g., master plans, urban rehabilitation areas, urban rehabilitation operations…) with updated information, namely: i) to support the decision-making of practitioners/technicians with measures and levels of interventions on urban buildings (Esra et al., 2019;Ornelas et al., 2021;Petti et al., 2019;Tarrafa Silva, 2020;Tarrafa Silva & Ferreira, 2018;Wardekker et al., 2020); and ii) to support urban planners and practitioners/technicians with crucial data to improve and promote the conservation of urban heritage in holistic, sustainable and proactive perspectives (Guzmán et al., 2017;Havinga et al., 2020;Khalil & Stravoravdis, 2022;Martínez Pino, 2018;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). ...
... The results show that MAHT allows to gather data and perform statistical treatment, two necessary actions to i) assess urban heritage, namely the general state of conservation of the buildings and the residents' needs, establishing a systematic monitoring procedure that opens a path to prevent an HIA procedure (ICOMOS, 2011;WHC, 2020b;Patiwael et al., 2019;Ashrafi et al., 2021); ii) mitigate potential negative impacts in urban buildings, especially when located, in WH Cities and buffer zones (Guzmán et al., 2017;Sesana et al., 2020;WHC, 2020c), namely those linked to urban development pressures (Ashrafi et al., 2021;Sesana et al., 2020;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;Wardekker et al., 2020;Ž ydrūnė, 2020); and iii) prioritize the intervention actions, according to the results of the assessment of urban buildings and data processing (Ornelas et al., 2021;Tarrafa Silva, 2020). MAHT also allows policy makers, in charge of urban planning and management, to feed the existing territorial plans and management instruments (e.g., master plans, urban rehabilitation areas, urban rehabilitation operations…) with updated information, namely: i) to support the decision-making of practitioners/technicians with measures and levels of interventions on urban buildings (Esra et al., 2019;Ornelas et al., 2021;Petti et al., 2019;Tarrafa Silva, 2020;Tarrafa Silva & Ferreira, 2018;Wardekker et al., 2020); and ii) to support urban planners and practitioners/technicians with crucial data to improve and promote the conservation of urban heritage in holistic, sustainable and proactive perspectives (Guzmán et al., 2017;Havinga et al., 2020;Khalil & Stravoravdis, 2022;Martínez Pino, 2018;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). The information obtained by MAHT is also important to improve the HUL urban heritage conservation procedures (UNESCO, 2011) through local stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, practitioners, urban planners, researchers, and technicians…), aiming: i) to integrate the decisionmaking of local planning policies, preventing and mitigating historic townscapes' loss (identifying authenticity, integrity) (Liu et al., 2022;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;Ž ydrūnė, 2020); and ii) to enhance the quality of life of the diverse residents and citizens (Martínez Pino, 2018; ...
Urban areas and historical centres are exposed to climate change, decay, human threats, among other menaces, which jeopardize their safeguard. Besides, in general, stakeholders, or decision-makers, do not require interventions to be sustained by previous evaluations of their impact in the urban heritage. To fill this gap, the international organizations in charge of the protection of cultural heritage (e.g., UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM), in line with what happens with the environment, request a holistic and integrated evaluations, regarding heritage impact assessment to maintain the urban heritage. The paper proposes a Monitoring and Assessment Heritage Tool (MAHT) to collect data concerning heritage, technical and social dimensions of urban heritage buildings. This tool aims to create shared databases, using a systematic assessment and monitoring to identify attributes and transformations, especially regarding physical features of urban fabrics and buildings, and the quality of life of citizens. It involves data analysis, supported by statistical procedures, which underline complementarity dimensions, and combined indicators, i.e., distinct levels of quantitative information. Finally, the paper concludes that, as a holistic assessment tool, MAHT contributes to catalogue buildings in cities, providing structured and systematised data, to support the decision-making processes of the different stakeholders at different urban heritage levels.
... The HUL tools should involve diverse stakeholders, aiming to empower them. Therefore, the recognition and safeguard of urban heritage buildings in their different spheres and scopes, as requested in most of the guidelines recommended by worldwide organizations, such as UNESCO, ICOMOS and ICCROM, involve diverse processes to identify its attributes and their authenticity and integrity (ICOMOS, 2011;Patiwael et al., 2019;Petti et al., 2019;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;WHC, 2020c). ...
... The results show that MAHT allows to gather data and perform statistical treatment, two necessary actions to i) assess urban heritage, namely the general state of conservation of the buildings and the residents' needs, establishing a systematic monitoring procedure that opens a path to prevent an HIA procedure (ICOMOS, 2011;WHC, 2020b;Patiwael et al., 2019;Ashrafi et al., 2021); ii) mitigate potential negative impacts in urban buildings, especially when located, in WH Cities and buffer zones (Guzmán et al., 2017;Sesana et al., 2020;WHC, 2020c), namely those linked to urban development pressures (Ashrafi et al., 2021;Sesana et al., 2020;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;Wardekker et al., 2020;Ž ydrūnė, 2020); and iii) prioritize the intervention actions, according to the results of the assessment of urban buildings and data processing (Ornelas et al., 2021;Tarrafa Silva, 2020). MAHT also allows policy makers, in charge of urban planning and management, to feed the existing territorial plans and management instruments (e.g., master plans, urban rehabilitation areas, urban rehabilitation operations…) with updated information, namely: i) to support the decision-making of practitioners/technicians with measures and levels of interventions on urban buildings (Esra et al., 2019;Ornelas et al., 2021;Petti et al., 2019;Tarrafa Silva, 2020;Tarrafa Silva & Ferreira, 2018;Wardekker et al., 2020); and ii) to support urban planners and practitioners/technicians with crucial data to improve and promote the conservation of urban heritage in holistic, sustainable and proactive perspectives (Guzmán et al., 2017;Havinga et al., 2020;Khalil & Stravoravdis, 2022;Martínez Pino, 2018;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). ...
... The results show that MAHT allows to gather data and perform statistical treatment, two necessary actions to i) assess urban heritage, namely the general state of conservation of the buildings and the residents' needs, establishing a systematic monitoring procedure that opens a path to prevent an HIA procedure (ICOMOS, 2011;WHC, 2020b;Patiwael et al., 2019;Ashrafi et al., 2021); ii) mitigate potential negative impacts in urban buildings, especially when located, in WH Cities and buffer zones (Guzmán et al., 2017;Sesana et al., 2020;WHC, 2020c), namely those linked to urban development pressures (Ashrafi et al., 2021;Sesana et al., 2020;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;Wardekker et al., 2020;Ž ydrūnė, 2020); and iii) prioritize the intervention actions, according to the results of the assessment of urban buildings and data processing (Ornelas et al., 2021;Tarrafa Silva, 2020). MAHT also allows policy makers, in charge of urban planning and management, to feed the existing territorial plans and management instruments (e.g., master plans, urban rehabilitation areas, urban rehabilitation operations…) with updated information, namely: i) to support the decision-making of practitioners/technicians with measures and levels of interventions on urban buildings (Esra et al., 2019;Ornelas et al., 2021;Petti et al., 2019;Tarrafa Silva, 2020;Tarrafa Silva & Ferreira, 2018;Wardekker et al., 2020); and ii) to support urban planners and practitioners/technicians with crucial data to improve and promote the conservation of urban heritage in holistic, sustainable and proactive perspectives (Guzmán et al., 2017;Havinga et al., 2020;Khalil & Stravoravdis, 2022;Martínez Pino, 2018;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). The information obtained by MAHT is also important to improve the HUL urban heritage conservation procedures (UNESCO, 2011) through local stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, practitioners, urban planners, researchers, and technicians…), aiming: i) to integrate the decisionmaking of local planning policies, preventing and mitigating historic townscapes' loss (identifying authenticity, integrity) (Liu et al., 2022;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;Ž ydrūnė, 2020); and ii) to enhance the quality of life of the diverse residents and citizens (Martínez Pino, 2018; ...
... Comprehensive knowledge of industrial heritage has been accurately described and classified in figure 1. [16,17] Heritage Impact Assessment is a tool to identify and assess impacts of proposed development projects on cultural heritage; and therefore, it supports better protection and management of the heritage assets. HIA is needed in advance when the cultural heritage such as natural, cultural, and intangible heritage, would be affected by these kinds of threats [18]. Depending on the context, HIA may be performed either by governmental technical experts or by external consultants on behalf of government or project developers [2]. ...
... The theory of natural movement is fundamental to space syntax: a set of theories and methods developed in the late 1970s that seeks, at a general level, to reveal the mutual effects of complex spatial systems on society and vice versa [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. In urban systems configuration is the primary generator of pedestrian movement patterns, and, in general, attractors are either equal sable or work as multipliers on the basic pattern established by configuration. ...
... Logically, the presence of attractors can influence the presence of people, but it cannot influence the fixed configurational parameters which describe its spatial location [31]. [19] Industrial Heritage Assessment and Guidelines for the Architectural Conservation of Hydroelectric Plants [20] Using Industrial Cultural Heritage to Transform and Develop Resource-Based Cities [21] Good practice for industrial heritage sites: systematization, indicators, and case [22] An approach to assess the value of industrial heritage based on Dempster-Shafer theory [23] Industrial heritage as a catalyst for urban regeneration in post-conflict cities Case study: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina [24] Adaptive reuse of industrial heritage for cultural purposes in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing [25] Industrial Heritage in Albania: An Assessment [26] Industrial Heritage and Place Identity in Spain: From Monuments to Landscapes [11] Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) Improving heritage impact assessment: an analytical critique of the ICOMOS guidelines [27] Applying Heritage Impact Assessment to urban development: World Heritage property of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan in Iran [18] Social Impact Assessment: Guidance for Assessing and Managing the Social Impacts of Projects [28] Guidance on heritage impact assessments Learning from its application on World Heritage site management [2] Dealing with the cultural heritage aspect of environmental impact assessment in Europe [29] This theory demonstrates that in urban systems, the configuration is the primary generator of pedestrian movement patterns and the basic patterns established by this quality. the place satisfaction variable was chosen to measure this quality and considering the existence of industrial heritage in one of the trails. ...
Space configuration of industrial heritage sites, which have been adaptively reused, are modeled in the depth map. Simultaneously, by using in-situ observation the actual patterns of pedestrian movement in these sites are captured. Finally, the results of simulated patterns and actual patterns are compared and interpreted. Findings show a notable impact of built heritage on the natural movement's patterns. Consequently, the significance of determinative factors of natural movement in these sites differs from regular sites. Therefore, this exception could develop a tourism policy towards these sites. By acknowledging the fact that the functions of selected case studies are not the same, yet those are the only adaptive reuse practice of industrial heritage in that region. This paper aims to assess the possible impact of built heritage as an influential attraction on distribution patterns of natural movement and develop natural movement theory in these sites. The use of natural movement theory, which provides accurate data that proves the impact of industrial heritage scientifically, is the main indicator of this research. this theory has not been used as an exact tool to identify the behavioral-movement attributes of heritage and needs some consideration to be applied in cultural heritage sites.
... EIA has been recognized as a comprehensive assessment tool which is a cornerstone of other IA tools [7,8]. It has been acknowledged as a productive assessment tool to provide a transparent process-"clear [and] easily understood requirements for EIA content"- [2,9,10] as well as a systematic and integrated methodology [11] that enhances environmental awareness and protection [7,[12][13][14][15]. Among the different receptors of impact, cultural heritage is mentioned in the EIA directives as one of the sensitive components. ...
... This guidance centers cultural World Heritage properties as autonomous and prominent characters in the environment that need to be considered separately [11]. ...
... The matrices are clearly understandable and represent an ample opportunity for focusing on the specific development threats on the WH components as well as including quantitative data exclusively in impacts evaluation. For example, the HIA procedure for the World Heritage property of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan in Iran introduced an impact identification matrix by focusing on the urban development threats and developed a quantitative ranking matrix for evaluating the significance of the impacts on the WH property [11]. ...
Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) has recently emerged as a conflict‐solving tool to improve World Heritage (WH) conservation in line with sustainable development policies. The increasing number of requested HIAs for affected WH properties over the last years reveals that more attention is being paid to HIA as a practical tool to adequately support the protection and management of historic monuments and sites against new constructions and development. However, the application of integrated and systematic impact assessment methods within HIA still remains a key challenge in different HIA projects. Therefore, this paper contributes to the further development of a transparent and systematic procedure of HIA in accordance with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). It also explores different standard methods of impact assessment in EIA and discusses their applicability to cultural World Heritage properties. Finally, the paper emphasizes a need for developing integrated impact assessment methods to address the multiple impacts of development projects. Such methodological enhancement can further contribute to mitigation strategies and decision‐making to protect World Heritage properties within the context of sustainable development.
... Addressing the potential HIA recommendations, Seyedashrafi et al. (2017) suggest that HIA shall be viewed as an integral part of management plan of WH properties and be introduced into the urban planning and design frameworks in order to facilitate sustainability of socio-cultural and economic urban development. ...
... As stated by ICOMOS, the use of HIA that is based on OUV makes it possible to recognize and address the scope of impact in a broader, more holistic way, where individual attributes of heritage properties would be analyzed along with their relation with each other. For example, Seyedashrafi et al. (2017) in the HIA of Jame mosque (Masjed-e Jame) in Isfahan, Iran focused on both potential threats and benefits posed by urban development. In particular, they identified three dimensions of impact: location (the mosque's setting), built environment (material and structural elements, decorative elements, architectural form and design) and sacred (religious ritual). ...
... Further they stressed that the need for assessment of the impact of external forces on heritage properties must be recognized along with the need for better heritage management. This is consistent with the global shift from addressing specific sites to contextual heritage management that embraces heritage properties along with tangible and intangible resources (Seyedashrafi, Ravankhah, Weidner, & Schmidt, 2017). ...
In recent years the cases of massive large-scale developments, urban renewal and infrastructural activities threatening World Heritage properties have become more frequent. The Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessment for Cultural World Heritage Properties published in 2011 by ICOMOS offered a consistent, well-balanced way to evaluate the threats and mitigate them with reference to the properties‘ Outstanding Universal Value, integrity and authenticity. In spite of considerable international experience, HIA has been mostly perceived as re-active tool to evaluate the impact of development projects, while its potential to be integrated into urban planning processes was largely underestimated.
The research was aimed to test HIA as a preventive planning tool for preservation and consistent development of historic urban heritage with special focus on the case of the World Heritage property of the Historic Center of Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
Thus the research question was determined as follows:
What is the potential of Heritage Impact Assessment to be used as a planning tool for sustainable management of urban heritage within the context of urban development in Uzbekistan?
To have the research question answered, a detailed desk study, including the review of international publications, HIA reports and research papers was completed along with a field mission to the Historic Center of Bukhara. The outcomes of the research clearly show significant potential behind further use of HIA as a planning tool. The analysis showed that in spite of challenges associated with potential conflict of interest, unexpected regulatory changes, lack of stakeholders buy-in and low awareness on the application, outcomes and benefits of HIA, there are good chances to use HIA to build a sustainable heritage management system improve planning policies and strengthen coordination between stakeholders.
... Furthermore, in 1999, IAIA put the basics for EIA and highlighted the importance of communities, culture and traditions as aspects and should put them in consideration while conducting EIA. It can be understood that step by step the IA is being applied in the heritage sector as HIA (Rogers, 2011;Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). ...
... However, HIA is considered as a part of EIA in some countries, which have succeeded in applying this assessment, such as Canada, England, Hong Kong and Australia (Roders & Oers, 2012). Although cultural heritage is considered as a part of EIA, there is a necessity to design a methodology that can be applied to the heritage sites particularly world heritage sites to protect its values (Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). ...
... In 2011, ICOMOS issued 'A Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessment for cultural world heritage properties' (ICOMOS, 2011). It was a transformational stage in applying this assessment for two reasons; first, it is a direct admission from ICOMOS that heritage properties have special and unique features and should not be just a part of EIA (Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). Second, ICOMOS tried to put a systematic methodology to apply HIA for proposed projects in heritage sites and at the same time assesses the impacts on OUV attributes (Ruoss & Alfarè, 2013). ...
This article aims to explore the role of heritage impact assessment (HIA) as a tool to safeguard world heritage sites from the adverse impacts of proposed projects as well as to recommend effective mitigation measures to create the balance between preservation and development. These mitigations will help the decision makers to take the right decision concerning the potential development.
The methodology adopts a qualitative approach which is based on semi-structured interviews with site managers of two world heritage sites: historic areas of Istanbul in Turkey and the Giza pyramids in Egypt. Other interviews were conducted with some archaeologists and some governmental bodies in both countries to evaluate the level of awareness of HIA and assess the current and potential threats resulting from development proposals. Consequently, the article applies the HIA methodology to evaluate the potential impacts of proposed projects in both heritage sites.
HIA can be an effective solution in order to eliminate the contradictions between the stakeholders investing in world heritage sites. The findings revealed that both world heritage sites are threatened by infrastructure and development projects. There is a lack of professionals who are able to conduct HIA methodology, thus Turkey and Egypt depend mainly on foreign experts to conduct it.
... The need to understand these dynamics puts us in front of the problem of identifying the impacts that derive from it, as well as direct and indirect threats. It is extremely useful if we think of cultural heritage as the key element for the sustainable development of human societies [79,80]. ...
... Among the existing methodologies, the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) promoted by Seyedashrafi et al. [80] and ICOMOS [81] for UNESCO sites certainly helps to define the starting points for built heritage and, more precisely, the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) sites. The document by ICOMOS [81] provides a series of guidelines to carry out the HIA in a rigorous and complete way. ...
... In particular, the Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment (CHIA) is defined as "the process of identification, prediction, evaluation, and communication of the probable effects of a policy or development action on the cultural life, institutions, and resources of communities, [and] then integrating the findings and conclusions into the planning and decision-making process, looking at the mitigation of adverse impacts and enhancing positive outcomes" [80,82]. ...
A solid and consistent research production has, up to now, considerably contributed to the identification and exploration of the meanings, theoretical foundations, and possible implications of tourism in the cities. The focus on pursuing sustainable tourism activities has also inspired different approaches (eco-tourism, responsible tourism, pro-poor tourism, among others). Nevertheless, difficulties still exist in the definition of concrete solutions to the complex problem of how to activate and facilitate the diffusion of sustainable urban tourism practices. Given the central role of indicators in the monitoring of transformation and defining impact mitigation measures, this article proposes an unexplored interpretation of such tools, which are specific for the built environment as a main component of the urban context. Starting from a broad examination of the literature on urban tourism and its related impacts, and focusing on heritage destinations, the authors highlight the potential of the built environment to play an active role in reducing the extent of potential flow impacts upstream of their actual occurrence. As a result, possible building-scale indicators that could integrate current downstream evaluation and mitigation practices are identified and suggested, and their possible implications are discussed alongside those of existing indicators. Finally, further developments for future research are suggested.
Sustainable Urban Tourism: Reflections on the Need for Building-Related Indicators. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325751097_Sustainable_Urban_Tourism_Reflections_on_the_Need_for_Building-Related_Indicators [accessed Jun 20 2018].
... Taking this guidance to heart, researchers and heritage managers are addressing this issue by including attention to OUV as part of HIA. For example, in a HIA of the World Heritage property of Jame mosque (Masjed-e Jame) in Iran's city of Isfahan, Seyedashrafi, Ravankhah, Weidner and Schmidt (2017) develop a list of potential threats and benefits to the mosque posed by urban development. Key elements identified in their assessment focus on three dimensions of impact: location (the mosque's setting), built environment (material and structural elements, decorative elements, architectural form and design) and sacred (religious ritual). ...
... The authors conclude their article with the following statement: HIA should be considered as an essential part of management plan of [World Heritage] properties that will be exposed to further development projects, as well as, within the urban planning and design frameworks in order to ensure a more socio-cultural and economic sustainable urban development. (Seyedashrafi et al., 2017;emphasis added) Thus, in addition to recognizing the need for assessing the impact of external forces on heritage properties, they also recognize a need to frame heritage management within the larger context of sustainable development. ...
... To what extent does a secular paradigm-common for heritage enterprises in many countries-limit the scope of HPB research and HIA? Alternatively, to what extent does a sacred paradigm-common for temples and other religious heritage structures, as exemplified by Masjed-e Jame (Seyedashrafi et al., 2017)-contribute to HPB research and HIA? ...
Heritage properties increasingly face a number of core challenges to their management and conservation. Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), especially that which focuses on UNESCO’s notion of outstanding universal value, effectively identifies threats posed by some of these challenges. However, heritage is not only a potential or actual recipient of negative impacts. Through heritage enterprises—private, non-profit or public entities whose missions include heritage education, management and/or conservation—heritage also impacts its place, that is, the set of relations that includes location, activities, values, objects and contextual communities. Heritage Place Building Theory (HPBT), a participatory approach that comprises four place building orientations and five analytical dimensions, facilitates the development of a reciprocal (bi-directional) HIA protocol, which is better suited to addressing and transforming core challenges to heritage management and conservation. In this article, HPBT and its relevance to a reciprocal HIA are presented and explained. Furthermore, a new, sixth HPBT dimension—the sacred—is defined and explored through a preliminary assessment of two heritage enterprise examples.
... Substantively, EIA has emerged as a productive assessment tool to provide a systematic and integrated methodology for examining the project proposals, assessing impacts, and facilitating decision-making by determining mitigation strategies. Moreover, EIA is established as a legally binding instrument in several countries around the world to prevent the adverse effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken [11]. ...
... According to the ICOMOS HIA guideline 2011, the magnitude of impacts ranks in five degrees, from 'major' to 'no change'. This chart was produced based on the ICOMOS guide for assessing severity of Impacts which is developed and published by [11]. In this study magnitude of the negative impacts is measured by 5 scale-point from Sever to Negligible with 5 reddish colour codes for negative impacts and 5 greenish colour codes for positive impacts. ...
Urban growth and modernisation are inevitable phenomena in the developing and developed countries, in which, cultural heritage properties as sensitive urban components may encounter irreparable losses. In the context of UNESCO World Heritage, the uprising conflict between urban development policies and heritage conservation in recent years has drawn more attention to Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) as an assessment tool to identify and analyse human-induced impacts on cultural heritage properties by the aim of maintaining a balance between cultural heritage protection and urban development needs towards sustainability. This paper aims to review the consequence of urban development pressure on cultural World Heritage properties. It further aims to explore the role of Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), as an assessment instrument, in recognising and analysing the potential threats in advance and in solving the potential conflicts to safeguard the heritage values. The challenge of conservation of cultural heritage within the broader urban development policies is conducted through reviewing the relevant reports and guidelines. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of four World Heritage properties, that their visual integrity has been affected by urban development projects, is carried out to show the different procedures in mitigating the impact and the role of HIA in the processes. Respectively, this paper compares two World Heritage properties of Meidan Emam (Iran) and Cologne Cathedral (Germany) which faced a similar urban development threat at the same time. It further elaborates on how the state parties responded to the identical uprising conflict differently. Moreover, the two cases of Golestan Palace (Iran) and Historic Centre of Vienna (Austria) are reviewed to emphasise the need for multi-sectoral cooperation and capacity-building in the area of HIA, beyond its assessment methodology, to adequately manage the urban development pressure in the future
... This is known to be the second city in Iran, which was acquired in 1302 and before Tehran from urban water plumbing. The "akbariyeh Garden," one of the historic buildings of this city that were registered at the UNESCO World Herald's 23rd UNESCO World Heritage Summit in 2011 [2]. Shokatiyeh School in this city became the third school of modern education, training, next to Darolfonon in Tehran and Rashdieh in Tabriz. ...
... The second largest airport in the country after the gleh Moghimi and Bushehr was built in 1312 due to the political and strategic position in Birjand. Until the Second World War, Russian and British consulates were operating in Birjand [2,3]. ...
The physical development of urban communities and cities, as well as the advancement of communication and information world, increased the need for advanced technologies. Nowadays, many urban planners and managers, especially the mangers of the intelligent transport system and smart government, are concerned with the transformation of physical cities to electronic cities and finally too smart cities in the real world. Making electronic cities smart requires the full participation of urban management organizations in different sectors. In addition, the required frameworks should be designed and implemented based on the close relations of these organizations with each other. This study aimed to investigate the key factors in transforming Birjand city into a smarter city by focusing on two components of the intelligent transport system and smart government. In smart government, a structure is recommended that is appropriate for launching and preparing the policies and regulations that need to be covered by different dimensions. In smart transportation component, one of the most important and valuable solutions to the problems of transportation is the intelligent transport system (ITS). In this context, measuring potentials and implementing strategic planning can play a key role in increasing service delivery and reducing problems. This research design is an applied study. It intends to introduce the principles and dimensions of the intelligent transportation system and explore the potentials and strategic planning opportunities in Birjand city using a descriptive-analytical method. The data were collected by the library - documentary method. Furthermore, the study was conducted as field-survey research (interviews and questionnaires). In continuation, the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the intelligent transportation system were determined and analyzed using the SWOT strategic planning model. Finally, appropriate strategies were presented.
... Similarly, because the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) overlooks some important aspects such as economic and social, it required relevant changes. Before the introduction of the HIA method (Seyedashrafi, Ravankhah, Weidner, & Schmidt, 2017), certain irreplaceable assets and their values had failed to be adequately addressed in the assessments of the potential adverse impact of urban construction and infrastructure projects on cultural heritage. The following factors explain why EIA, and SIA needs to be comprehensively improved: ...
In recent years, we have been observing an increasing significance of industrial heritage in international heritage studies. Developed in response to urban development needs, industrial heritage is now considered a valuable part of the city. Such an approach has resulted in the adaptive reuse of industrial heritage in the developing countries. This is, indeed, a practical solution for sustainable development of cities and the subject matter of many academic discussions. In this respect Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) seems to be a useful tool. This paper aims to study the role of HIA in adaptive reuse practice in industrial heritage sites in Iran. For that purpose, the authors have used a combined research method including historic study, analytical-description techniques and questionnaire-based interviews (with heritage managers and planners). The results indicate that HIA guidelines play a useful role in preserving the significance of historic cultural heritage and should be observed in the adaptive reuse practice in respect of the industrial heritage sites in Iran. Based on the analysed examples of successfully converted sites, this paper advocates using HIA as a useful tool in determining the potential of a
given industrial heritage site for a successful reuse.
... It is also known as Masjed-e J ame' Atiq and Masjed-e J ame' Adineh or Friday mosque (Iranian government and ICHHTO 2011). The mosque is a unique cultural heritage in the city of Isfahan and has been continually developed from circa 771 until the end of the twentieth century (Seyedashrafi et al. 2017). It is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture in the world (Abdollahnejad et al. 2014;Assari and Mahesh 2011). ...
The Masjed-e Jāme’ of Isfahan is one of the largest historic mosques in the Islamic world. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Due to the arid climate of the region, the building is quite well preserved and presents only localized patterns of alteration. However, due to the risk of biodeteriogenic microorganisms which could be present on these valuable surfaces, this study aimed to isolate the microorganisms associated with the specific deteriorated areas of this monument and determine their deteriorative mechanism. Samples were taken from the deteriorated areas in order to isolate bacteria and fungi. These were tested for their potential to induce biodeterioration via CaCO3 dissolution, pH alteration, and pigment and mineral production. Results revealed that ubiquitous species such as Penicillium spp. and Bacillus spp. were the most abundant microorganisms isolated from the samples, some of which were able to release organic acids and induce CaCO3 dissolution. Very often, the isolated fungi showed a combined biodeteriogenic activity due to solubilization and precipitation of CaCO3. Rarely was CaCO3 solubilization combined with pigment release. These findings are a first step toward providing helpful information to assess the biodeteriogenic potential of colonizing microorganisms and planning a preventive method for the conservation of this monument which has never been studied in terms of biodeterioration risk.
... Although globalization and urbanization bring a whole new economic, social, and cultural life to developing countries (United Nations, 2015), they have also caused some challenges to sustainable urban planning, especially in terms of conservation of cultural heritage (Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). City is the material carrier of economy and culture (Lynch, 1960). ...
Diverse urban landscape is an important cultural driving force for urban sustainable development. Although characterizing landscape to protect landscape diversity is widely used in regional landscape and preservation practices, it is difficult to apply to urban landscape character assessment, which needs fine-scale data support, explicit study units, and effective clustering models. Therefore, this study uses urban big geospatial data and machine learning technology to establish a technical system for character assessment of urban landscape applicable to the block scale and complete the landscape assessment of urban areas of Beijing and Shanghai, China. A total of 64 landscape character types were identified in Beijing, and 61 in Shanghai. We find that (1) urban landscape characters are different with the ring road as the boundary, but each zone presents a combination of different proportions of landscape characters. (2) Beijing's city wall demolition policy is affected by historical protection policy. Landscape differentiation on both sides of the Huangpu River in Shanghai has yet to be realized. This study extends the theory of LCA and realizes the research exploration of urban built environment. It can also be used to guide urban zoning control, evaluate planning policy, and provide assistance in practice for sustainable urban development and management.
... Old and historical parts of the city required renovation due to inadequate urban services, narrow passages, traffic congestion, and poor access to historical places (Assari, 2012). An urban regeneration project in Isfahan was the historically renowned Imam Ali square neighborhood in a 23-hectare area that started in 2010 (Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). This project aimed to regenerate the cultural and historical context of the square, the surrounding residential neighborhoods, the infrastructures, and the roads. ...
Urban area regeneration is a matter of every municipality over time. Regeneration projects are usually cost-intensive and directly affect many vulnerable members of society. Public-private-people partnership (PPPP) is one of the adopted methods by various municipalities in these projects. Multiple players with different backgrounds and uncertainties involved complicate the development process of PPPP projects. A carefully designed framework is required to successfully deliver these projects. This research develops a holistic PPPP framework for the old urban neighborhood regeneration projects in Iran. The collective experience of urban area regeneration projects from the literature and field experts is employed in the proposed framework. The framework outlines the requirements of the feasibility study that the government needs to perform in the initial stages of the projects. Three standard form contracts designed in the framework adjust the stakeholders' relations over the project’s life cycle. The field experts verified the capabilities of the framework and found it beneficial for future urban regeneration projects in the country. Although the identified issues are addressed in the proposed framework, prospective implementations of the framework need to be closely viewed to identify possible points of improvement.
... Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) [60], can be developed by considering the above-mentioned hazards and threats in one axis and the tangible and intangible attributes of the site in another axis (Fig. 10). The earthquake-induced disaster defined in the matrix targets the following three categories of risk sources: ...
This paper contributes to an integrated and systematic methodology of disaster risk assessment for (World) cultural heritage sites. A Cultural Heritage Risk Index is proposed while looking at the risk components of ‘hazard’ (earthquakes), ‘exposure’ (significance of the heritage assets), and ‘vulnerability’ (susceptibility and coping capacity). To adequately address the direct and indirect impacts of earthquake-induced disasters, a multiple impact identification framework is developed while considering the secondary hazards and human-induced threats as well. The assessment procedure was applied to the World Heritage site of Bam and its Cultural Landscape in Iran, which was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 2003. The findings of the research emphasis that in addition to the hazard, diverse factors associated with multidimensional values, structural susceptibility, and institutional capacity highly influence the level of risk. The outputs of the risk assessment contribute to the decision-making process for setting priorities and determining hazard- and site-specific risk reduction strategies, particularly for seismic susceptibility reduction and coping capacity building. This also provides multiple sectors engaged in the protection of (World) cultural heritage to adequately incorporate cultural heritage considerations into the broader disaster resilience and development planning.
... Given the rapid and unprecedented urbanisation during the past century, substantial cultivated land has been lost and several phenomena such as urban poverty, crime and informal settlements revealed within cities and along their expanding edges. Thus, historic neighbourhoods have faced the slow process of transformation and modernisation that has altered residents' lifestyles and their cultural and social norms at the beginning of the 20th century (Seyedashrafi et al., 2017). Such an event generated physical and social changes, such that the old neighbourhoods of noble cities lost their value and normativity and became abnormal and valueless. ...
Purpose
Given its ineffective urban control strategies, Iran’s urbanisation experiences indicate highly rapid migration, horizontal expansion, spatial inequality and an imbalanced distribution of public services. Considering the significance of historic fabric for the spatial continuity of neighbourhoods and the formation of the physical identity of cities, this study aims to evaluate the impact of quality of place (QoP) on resident satisfaction in a historic – religious settlement of Sari, a provincial capital city in the north of Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
Various studies have evaluated resident satisfaction in the old urban fabric, but scarce investigations have focussed on the impact of QoP on resident satisfaction at historic-religious settlements. Conceptually, this research extends theory by reframing QoP as a reflective, hierarchical construct and modelling its impact on satisfaction. A sample of 227 residents was analysed via structural equation modelling.
Findings
Understanding the contribution of QoP to residential satisfaction is a key element in facilitating sustainable neighbourhood development so as to improve the condition of a historic neighbourhood. QoP is a second-order construct with four dimensions, namely, public facilities, sense of belonging, perception of safety and environmental quality, and is highly reflected by public facilities, followed by perception of safety, environmental quality and sense of belonging. The objective characteristics of the environment and subjective wellbeing perceived by residents play significant roles on resident satisfaction, especially in historic neighbourhoods.
Originality/value
Analysis of the structural model supports the theoretical findings in the literature that associate high QoP with high satisfaction. The model of this work can be applied for a wide range of human settlements.
... Urban heritage has been already understood as a resource for cultural commodification, and some countries are placing the core focus of heritage management on enhancing socio-economic development (for example in Logan, 2018;Su, 2011Su, , 2015Wu, 2018). Although more opportunities for socio-economic development can come along with the process, challenges and threats have also been placed on urban heritage management and protection (Seyedashrafi, Ravankhah, Weidner, & Schmidt, 2017). In China, the whole country is experiencing unprecedented urban (re)development, and the rapidly urbanising process has caused various social tensions to both heritage and its communities, including over-commercialisation, enforced eviction and social inequality (Ng, Zhai, Zhao, & Li, 2016;Tan & Altrock, 2016;Wang & Aoki, 2019). ...
To better face the challenges of rapid urbanisation, it is recommended urban heritage management is carried out through community participation. In the Chinese context of state centralisation, however, inclusive participatory governance for urban heritage has remained limited, and effective ways of engaging residents in decision-making have yet to be explored adequately. This paper aims to explore community participation within Chinese urban heritage management, taking the Old Town of Lijiang as a case study. During fieldwork, in-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with both native and migrant residents as well as administrators. Based on a community participation assessment framework, the interview guide was developed and then built on four aspects: community participation in decision-making; the competence of participants; the right to social justice and confidence of participants; and community empowerment and equity. This paper reveals the current state of participatory practices in the Old Town of Lijiang and, specifically, discusses the roles of residents, elites and community-based organisations in decision-making concerning urban heritage management, in the contexts of state-centralisation. Chinese urban heritage management needs to raise public awareness and willingness as well as give residents more responsibilities and power to face the challenges of rapid urbanisation, but currently, the degree of participation is still minimal, only between informing and consulting.
... On the other hand, United Nation's statistics demonstrate an unprecedented urbanization rate (United Nations, 2018), which has exposed heritage monuments and properties to anthropogenic threats in turn (Agapiou et al., 2015;Seyedashrafi, Ravankhah, Weidner, & Schmidt, 2017). One of the main impacts of human activities and human-made structures is on urban landscapes (Lin, Homma, & Iki, 2018). ...
Rapid urban development has posed destructive effects on the visual quality of many cities over the past few decades. Consequently, Visibility Analysis (VA) methods have been adopted to evaluate and prevent the visual influences of the development over valuable scenes. Shiraz' strategic view of the Quran Gate, in especial, is known for its remarkable landmarks, while the visual effects of the recent rapid urban growth on the view have been a matter of concern. The future of the view is even more at risk due to the lack of synergy between the urban development plan and historic preservation regulation. Consequently, this study aims to undertake a Visibility Analysis of the height regulation of the Shiraz Development Plan on the view of the Quran Gate. In this essence, two 3D models of the study area are produced based on the existing condition and the Shiraz Development Plan scenario. By choosing seventeen key viewpoints, visibility analysis of landmarks and viewpoints was conducted. The results demonstrate the destructive visual effects of the development plan on the strategic view. It is suggested that the proposed cost-efficient methodology can minimize subjective evaluation and contribute to the synergy between development and conservation plans.
... Thus, the sustainability of these relations determines the continuation of environmental quality and sociocultural welfare. Seyedashrafi et al. (2017) question the effect of the latest development plan on the cultural asset values of a historic site around the Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan, Iran. The site has faced various urban implementations throughout its history. ...
This study presents a framework for assessing the cultural asset values of historic sites around mosques. Case studies are selected from provinces of Manisa, Turkey, namely, Çarşı in Salihli with its new urban development and Pazaryeri in Gördes that is abandoned and currently considered as an archaeological site. Literature review, archive research, historical research, comparative study, and site survey are carried out to evaluate the urban development of site neighborhoods with a retrospective perspective. An approach presenting the effects of urban transformations on the cultural asset values of the historic neighborhood centers is proposed. The cases reveal that the urban aesthetic is nearly all lost today, but the holiness of each site preserves its authenticity while the historic land use is sustained. Their preservation problems are lack of maintenance and abandonment due to disasters, illegal interventions, inappropriate development plans, and unsuitable restoration approaches. The principles proposed for managing these historic environments consider their cultural asset values in relation to urban history, development of coherent strategies for their presentation, and participation of all actors to their preservation and development.
... On the other hand, "urbanness of WHS presents a series of challenges related to designation, assessment, and management of conservation objects in the context of dynamic and heterogeneous urban systems" (Pendlebury et al., 2009). New tendencies for high-rise constructions in big cities, especially adjacent to historical buildings has provided a context for huge economic forces to modernize cities and transforming them to be a part of global rivalry (Seyedashrafi, Ravankhah, Weidner, & Schmidt, 2017;Tavernor, 2007). Thus, height of surrounding area in new constructions has become a major concern in many cities (Pendlebury et al., 2009). ...
Neglecting visual consideration in determining regulations related to height and skyline in urban plans in the area around historical sites has caused irreparable damages to authenticity of historical open spaces. Despite all existing agreements and regulations related to cultural heritage, there is a significant gap between regulations and what is implemented in the real world. It is even more challenging in the context of dynamic and heterogeneous metropolitan cities with historical backgrounds. So, the present study was conducted to develop an effective and applicable 3D-model for visual buffer conservation and height regulation in development of urban planning in the area beyond approved regulations of historical sites; with an emphasis in two historical sites in Iran, that is, “Zandieh Complex”, and “Hafezieh Tomb” in Shiraz with a high risk of making scratched skyline. In this study, it was attempted to decompose existing approaches to visual analysis techniques and then providing a technical yet simple enough platform for city decision-makers to be used for defining visual buffer zones with height regulations. The research method is a combination of quantitative (to build 3D evaluation model) and qualitative (to compare and to build a framework) methods. Firstly, range of visual effects was quantified by employing “three-dimensional visual surfaces” using Shiraz municipality data bank and DEM topographic data. Secondly, a comparative analysis was conducted to test correspondence between results and authorized map of “the Cultural Heritage Organization” and “Municipality’s comprehensive plan of Shiraz”. Results of the study suggested that the use of this applicable model can increase public attention to visual and intangible value of historical open spaces. The model will also present a less prone to errors and integrated height managing tool to bring authorities of conflicting interests into transparent conservation. Using suggested methodology will make height pre-assessment faster with minimal cost and expertise.
... Isfahan is the second largest city of Iran that is located in in the middle part of Iran in a semi-arid region. The metropolis of Isfahan is well-known for its ancient buildings such as Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan (Jame Mosque), Sio-Se-Pol Bridge, Naghshe Jahan square, and Chahar-Bagh which has a global reputation (Seyedashrafi et al. 2017;Hemmatiha et al. 2018). ...
The metropolis of Isfahan that is an important historic and tourist city has faced subsidence in recent decades. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential and pattern of progressive subsidence in Isfahan Metropolis, located in the middle part of Iran. For this purpose, geotechnical and hydrogeological studies are conducted. Many samples from the 266 boreholes throughout the study area are studied. Many different tests including grading test, soil type, soil thickness, Atterberg limits, plasticity index, void ratio, and consolidation parameters are done. Also, the fluctuations of groundwater table from 2000 till 2014 were also investigated. Then, the results of the tests were combined with the spatial analysis in the GIS software to determine the critical locations as well as the advancing pattern of progressive subsidence in Isfahan Metropolis. The results revealed that moving from the South-East toward the North-West in the study area, the decline in groundwater head was increased from 4 to 36 m. Based on the results, the most severe subsidence occurred in the western border of the city and was calculated to be about 73 cm over the 14 years period. Additionally, inelastic skeletal specific-storage (Sskv) was calculated for fine-grained sediments in the mentioned time span. According to the interpolation map, the maximum values of the inelastic skeletal specific-storage, as well as the most expected subsidence due to a gradual decline in groundwater head, was occurred in the central part of the city.
... Other review studies included the work of Plevoets and Cleempoel (2012) who compared, classified and pointed up gaps of different theories for adaptive reuse strategy towards conservation of cultural heritage: typological, technical and architectural. Also, Seyedashrafi et al. (2017) reviewed existing methodologies, approaches and tools regarding heritage impact assessment. Clemente et al. (2015) argued that cultural heritage should extend beyond the gentrification of historic centres to play an active role for the urban regeneration; increasing its cultural activities and promoting the valorization of the urban area. ...
Sustainable practices for cultural heritage projects require their own contextually designed indicators. This study investigates available assessment and benchmarking tools for green heritage practices; with a particular focus on the role played by Green building rating systems (GBRSs) owing to their increasing market potentials. This investigation shows the lack of specific, adequate and simplified tools for the sustainability assessment of rehabilitation actions. It is also difficult for the existing scoring mechanism of GBRSs to consider the socio-cultural, economic and environmental roles played by cultural heritage projects. Hence, the study develops a Multicriteria Assessment Framework (MAF) with a set of indicators tailored for cultural heritage projects to be applied in Egypt. The study would verify its outcomes by evaluating the restoration that took place for Sabil Mohamed Ali in Al Moez Street in Old Cairo according to the proposed assessment framework. This includes compliance with the new functional requirements, maintaining the historical and cultural values, recognition of its societal role and the integration with the external environment and social fabric. This is followed by validation and corrective action to the proposed framework so that it would be able to contribute to the existing body of knowledge concerning green heritage assessment and benchmarking.
... Gegenwärtig ist in der landpolitischen Fachliteratur strittig, ob die neuen Eigentümer ihr Land rechtmäßig erworben haben und ob sie es überhaupt Scharia-adäquat bewirtschaften. Hier sind Parallelen zwischen der iranischen Landreform und derjenigen in Namibia und Südafrika auszumachen, bei denen es zwar weniger um die Art der als religiös richtig erachteten Bodennutzung geht, aber sehr wohl um die Gewährleistung rechtssicherer Nutzungskonditionen sowie um die Höhe der Kompensation als Enteignungsentschädigung (compensation) oder im Rahmen des Denkmalschutzes (Seyedashrafi et al. 2017). Allerdings fehlen im Iran die gesetzlichen Möglichkeiten, um die "Neufarmer" zu zwingen, von sich aus eine Entschädigung an die früheren Eigentümer zu bezahlen. ...
Das Bodenrecht umfasst alle diejenigen Vorschriften, die Grund und Boden zum Gegenstand rechtlicher Ordnung haben. Rechtliche (normative) Ordnungen bewegen sich im öffentlichen und privaten Bereich. Diese rechtlichen Ordnungen für Eigentum, Besitz und Nutzung von Grundstücken können, global betrachtet, sehr unterschiedlich sein. Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit den Bodenrechtsinstituten der islamisch-orientalischen Stadt im Besonderen und den auf den Regeln der Scharia beruhenden Landentwicklungsprozessen in der islamischen Welt im Allgemeinen.
Land law encompasses all the rules which govern land as a matter of legal order. Legal orders are based in the public and private sphere. These legal orders for property, ownership and the (sole) use of land can vary significantly on the global scale. This paper deals with the land law institutes of the Islamic-Oriental city in particular and the land development processes based on the rules under the religious legal system of the Sharia in the Islamic world in general.
Keywords: Land Law, Land Policy, Sharia, Land Leasing, Land Management, Islamic Finance
... Other review studies included the work of Plevoets and Cleempoel (2012) who compared, classified and pointed up gaps of different theories for adaptive reuse strategy towards conservation of cultural heritage: typological, technical and architectural. Also, Seyedashrafi et al. (2017) reviewed existing methodologies, approaches, and tools regarding heritage impact assessment. Clemente et al. (2015) argued that cultural heritage should extend beyond the museification and gentrification of historic centres to play an active role for the urban regeneration; increasing its cultural activities and promoting the valorization of the urban area interacting with stakeholders and involving the local community. ...
Sustainable practices for cultural heritage projects require their own contextually designed indicators that present a set of sustainable guidelines and assessment criteria. These should combine aspects of cultural preservation along with the triple bottom line objectives of sustainability. This study investigates available assessment and benchmarking tools for green heritage practices; with a particular focus on the role played by Green building rating systems (GBRSs) owing to their increasing market potentials. This investigation shows the lack of specific, adequate and simplified tools for the sustainability assessment in rehabilitation actions. It is also difficult for the existing scoring mechanism of GBRSs to consider the socio-cultural, economic and environmental roles played by cultural heritage projects. Hence, the study develops a Multicriteria Assessment Framework (MAF) and a set of indicators tailored for cultural heritage projects to be applied in Egypt. The study would verify its outcomes through evaluating the restoration that took place for Sabil Mohamed Ali in Al Moez Street- Historical Islamic Cairo according to the proposed assessment framework. This includes compliance with the new functional requirements, maintaining the historical and cultural values, recognition of its societal role, integration with the external environment and social fabric. This is followed by validation and corrective action to the proposed framework so that it would be able to contribute to the existing body of knowledge concerning green heritage assessment and benchmarking.
... In this method, the positive and negative effects of new interventions are systematically assessed in contrast to the heritage significance values. This approach has been recently applied to urban development projects not only to reduce its negative potential impacts on cultural heritage but also to balance them with socio-cultural and economic benefits as beneficial impacts [12]. ...
The demand for improving the energy performance of buildings located in the historic districts of cities is as high as the current demand in other city districts. The need to reduce energy consumption and improve the comfort of inhabitants is compounded by the need to preserve an environment of heritage value. The selection of rehabilitation strategies at urban scale offers significant benefits, but makes the process long and costly. Therefore, methods or tools are necessary to establish a rapid assessment that facilitates strategic decision making and a deeper analysis of a reduced number of alternatives.
This paper describes a method that supports decision making regarding the suitability of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) in historic districts at early stages. The method considers the improvement of the energy performance of buildings as a positive impact, balanced with the negative impacts that the implementation of ECMs could produce. A CityGML-based urban model allows the automation of a multi-scale assessment for different ECMs and provides possible global energy demand reductions. This method, combined with an economic evaluation, can be used by decision makers for large-scale energy retrofitting. The applicability of the method is demonstrated through implementation in the historic city of Santiago de Compostela.
Applying a qualitative content analysis and focusing on the politics of memory, this paper aimed to examine two top-down implemented monumental public spaces in Iran, Hefdah-e Shahrivar street in Tehran, and Imam Ali Square in Isfahan. The city authorities envisioned both projects to regenerate the surrounding historic urban area and embody specific collective values. Through thematic coding of the local shopkeepersʼ narratives, as a group excluded from decision-making, this paper identifies the narrative strategies that they apply to negotiate these projects. The study formulates three concepts: 1) Reclaiming the space, 2) Reproducing a sense of distrust, 3) Reproducing memories of loss. The three identified narrative strategies indicate a situation in which the contested space, the contested process, and the contested memory frame a contested collective in both projects. The paper illuminates how the value system, which the two top-down implemented projects aimed to embody, transformed through the everyday lives of the local shopkeepers. The research findings also discuss the concept of semantic inversion in the context of monumental public spaces. It illustrates how the imposed value system is inverted and questioned within the narrative strategies of the excluded locals.
Applying a qualitative content analysis and focusing on the politics of memory, this paper aimed to examine two top-down implemented monumental public spaces in Iran, Hefdah-e Shahrivar street in Tehran, and Imam Ali Square in Isfahan. The city authorities envisioned both projects to regenerate the surrounding historic urban area and embody specific collective values. Through thematic coding of the local shopkeepersʼ narratives, as a group excluded from decision-making, this paper identifies the narrative strategies that they apply to negotiate these projects. The study formulates three concepts: (1) Reclaiming the space, (2) Reproducing a sense of distrust, (3) Reproducing memories of loss. The three identified narrative strategies indicate a situation in which the contested space, the contested process, and the contested memory frame a contested collective in both projects. The paper illuminates how the value system, which the two top-down implemented projects aimed to embody, transformed through the everyday lives of the local shopkeepers. The research findings also discuss the concept of semantic inversion in the context of monumental public spaces. It illustrates how the imposed value system is inverted and questioned within the narrative strategies of the excluded locals.
Purpose
According to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) report of heritage at risk for 2011–2013, Cairo is facing serious conservation challenges after the revolution of 2011, witnessing aggressive cultural heritage vandalism. A marginalized inaccessible heritage site is considered one of the most vulnerable cultural assets. Existing studies focused on safeguarding accessible historical centers while insufficient attention is given to marginalized inaccessible heritage sites. The paper questions: how far the reaccess is preventive conservation action acting against possible encroachments? And if accessibility could stand as the key player promoting networks of marginal heritage landscapes, facilitating documentation and rehabilitation programs.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopts both analytical and experimental approaches. The former departs from cartographic studies and systematic contextual surveys carried out in March 2017 and was updated in July 2019 concerning the delimitation of historic Cairo. It concludes by mapping marginal heritage besides classifying their value significance, urban risks and causes of inaccessibility. The latter phase structures a framework guiding accessibility interventions of marginal heritage and examines its applicability through a cross-case comparison between four sites while proposing accessibility interventions strategies.
Findings
Finally, the study offers a comprehensive assessment model for the new interventions measuring the contextual, economic, social and administrative influences of accessibility.
Practical implications
The framework is considered a decision-making tool defining marginalized heritage areas with the highest priorities of enactments. The study aims to facilitate the mission of governors, policymakers and experts in conserving problematic urban heritage through soft transformations.
Social implications
Both the framework and the assessment model are based on social empowerment and involvement within different phases of design, management and monitoring plans.
Originality/value
It aims to perform new urban codification representing the contemporary identity of marginal heritage landscape in developing countries challenging heritage vandalism. It enables reconfiguring the delimitation of historic Cairo through proposing new parameters and guidelines.
Purpose
The improper management of conventional systems for recording, diagnosing and analysing information appears to be a major problem in the maintenance of heritage buildings. This is because of a lack of detection of patent or latent defects, ineffective repair methods and inappropriate planning decisions, which increase the risks of failure throughout the lifetime of heritage buildings. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The concept of maintenance management practices, as well as techniques and tools from information and communication technology, was reviewed to identify suitable processes and construct an information database of maintenance and management techniques. A maintenance index framework was then formulated by analysing these concepts.
Findings
The initial findings identify the need for decision-making support in the diagnosis of heritage building maintenance based on robust data collection. This should include the selection of a durable replacement design and material or an appropriate rehabilitation method for managing quality and reducing associated defects.
Originality/value
Further research into the maintenance of heritage buildings should consider various aspects in terms of sustainability. The paper concludes that implementing a maintenance index framework can help improve the decision-making performance with regard to the design, construction and maintenance operations of heritage concrete buildings.
Owning to the losses incurred from the occurrence of certain events at Cultural Heritage Sites (CHS's), conservation of its Cultural Heritage (CH) assets is reported to be threatened. The losses while qualifying for disasters to an affected CHS have necessitated proactive measures in the conservation of CH assets (individual and collective) aimed at reducing the risks of their exposure to eventual disasters. Foremost in such measures is the assessment of Disaster Risks (DR) whereby good practice (assessment of DR) conceptualises it (DR) to being a collective interplay of four variables namely: hazards, vulnerability; capacity and exposure. While deeper insights to the manifestation of each variable is deemed to be gained through a technique that investigates each variable in a multi-level approach, researches in the CH domain are yet to fully apply such approach (particularly to all the variables). Therefore, this research examined the four DR variables with a view to explore their multi-level manifestations in the domain of CH conservation. With the aid of a structured questionnaire and by means of conducting a survey, data was collected from 204 respondents at The Historic Commercial and Residential Zone (Old Quarter) of the Core Zone of Malacca CHS in Malaysia. Using IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0, a 5-Step Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was carried out to analyse the inputted data. The achievement of certain threshold requirements by the results of this research indicates the fulfilment of some objectives of EFA. For instance, the reduction of manifest items is evident from the 47 manifest items having factor loadings = 0.6 as against the total of 58 manifest items initially used in the study. Additionally, while the 47 manifest items for all 10 factors retained fulfilled convergent validity (loadings of manifest items = 0.6), the loadings for the rotation of all 10 factors fulfilled discriminant validity (loading = 0.3). These 10 factors retained spread across the four DR variables as follows: hazards (natural and human induced); vulnerability (human, material and managementbased); capacity (human, material and management-based); and exposure (heritage values and community assets). The EFA technique used in this research has enabled the multilevelling of each variable within the sphere of variable-to-factor and then factor-to-manifest item. The implication of the approach to multi-levelling of variables is for gaining deeper insights of DR to CHS conservation. However, it is worthy stating that the manifest items used in this study are bound to vary both within and across CHS's, thus, further studies could embark on a conceptual framework for the assessment of DR that could apply to specific contexts of DR towards the effective conservation of CHS's and its CH assets therein.
The contribution of productive and cultural landscapes in Iranian urbanism practices has a long standing tradition. Historically, the trialogue between living, ritual and productive landscapes structured the traditional urbanism and used as a guideline for any development and urban practice in Iranian contexts. This is vividly mirrored by random and organic patterns of the Iranian cities in one hand and entangled networks of urban and agricultural landscapes in territorial scale on the other hand. In the late twentieth century, The Urban knowledge and perspectives towards sustainable development and territorial building immensely altered by the new stereotypical European models mostly focused on the city centers. As a consequence of this unbalanced expansion, the entangled relation of urban and agricultural areas faded away and new ecological and socio-economical dilemmas emerged. This paper takes Isfahan and Yazd regions situated in central Iranian plateau as case studies and kicks off by illustrating the spatial configuration of the traditional city in order to identify the historic knowledge and techniques as driving forces behind its development in local and regional scale. Later, it will try to critically highlight the contemporary efforts which have tried to address/disregard the relation of agricultural and urban landscapes for developing strategies and guidelines for the future sustainable development of Iranian contexts both in the city and territorial scale.
The middle eastern cities and Isfahan school of urban morphology Isfahan school of urban design: A morphological perspective. In the 21st international seminar on urban form, our common future in urban morphology
- F Arefian
- H Estaji
- M Jabbari
- A Koledova
- M Fatemi
Arefian, F., Estaji, H., Jabbari, M., Koledova, A., & Fatemi, M. (2014). The middle
eastern cities and Isfahan school of urban morphology Isfahan school of urban
design: A morphological perspective. In the 21st international seminar on urban
form, our common future in urban morphology (pp. 1795-1807).
Is the spirit of city back by the revival of old square? In Persian
- M Arzani
Arzani, M. (2014). Is the spirit of city back by the revival of old square? In Persian,
Available at: http://www.kanoonkhabar.com/note/item/462-tmpl=component&print=1 Accessed 20 May 2015
Managing world heritage properties: The role of statements of outstanding universal value and attributes
- De Marco
De Marco, L. (2013). Managing world heritage properties: The role of statements of
outstanding universal value and attributes. In Meeting of the Mediterranean
European focal points for world heritage. Available at: whc.unesco.org/
document/125026 Accessed 20 November 2016
Xi'an declaration on the conservation of the setting of heritage structures, sites and areas. 15th general assembly of ICOMOS
- Icomos
ICOMOS. (2005). Xi'an declaration on the conservation of the setting of heritage
structures, sites and areas. 15th general assembly of ICOMOS,. Available at:
http://www.icomos.org/xian2005/xian-declaration.pdf, Accessed 15
November 2016
Guidance on heritage impact assessments for cultural world heritage properties. Paris: International Council on Monuments and Site
- Icomos
ICOMOS. (2010). Guidance on heritage impact assessments for cultural world heritage
properties. Paris: International Council on Monuments and Site.
Nomination of the Persian garden for inscription on the world heritage list
Iranian government and ICHHTO (Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism
Organisation). (2010). Nomination of the Persian garden for inscription on the
world heritage list. In UNESCO world heritage convention. Available at: http://
whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1372.pdf, Accessed 12 May 2016
Nomination of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan for inscription on the world heritage list
Iranian government and ICHHTO (Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism
Organisation). (2010). Nomination of Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan for inscription
on the world heritage list. In UNESCO world heritage convention. Available at:
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1397.pdf, Accessed 15 June 2015
State of conservation report of Masjed-e Jame-Isfahan, world heritage site
Iranian government and ICHHTO (Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism
Organisation). (2015). State of conservation report of Masjed-e Jame-Isfahan,
world heritage site. In UNESCO world heritage convention.
Heritage Impact Assessment as a tool to open up perspectives for sustainability: Three case studies related to discussions concerning the visual integrity of World Heritage Cultural and Urban Landscapes. Book of Perceptions of sustainability in heritage studies
- S Jarrar
- A Riedlmayer
- J B Spurr
Jarrar, S., Riedlmayer, A., & Spurr, J. B. (1994). Resources for the study of Islamic
architecture historical section. Aga Khan program for Islamic architecture,
Kloos, M. (2015). Heritage Impact Assessment as a tool to open up perspectives for
sustainability: Three case studies related to discussions concerning the visual
integrity of World Heritage Cultural and Urban Landscapes. Book of Perceptions
of sustainability in heritage studies.
Renovation and Restoration Organization of Isfahan
- Municipality Of Isfahan
Municipality of Isfahan (2011). Available at: http://isfahan.ir/ShowPage.aspx?page
=form&order=show&lang=1&sub=84&PageId=7833&PageIDF=0&tempname=motaleat
Accessed 29 February 2016.
Municipality of Isfahan (2013). Available at: http://www.isfahan.ir/Dorsapax/
userfiles/file/00aa/vorodi4.jpg Accessed 15 February 2016.
Renovation and Restoration Organization of Isfahan. (2012). Imam Ali Square.
Isfahan Municipality portal, International affairs Dept.
Cultural impact assessment project, framework for cultural impact assessment. Dakar: International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD)
- B K Sagnia
Sagnia, B. K. (2004). Cultural impact assessment project, framework for cultural
impact assessment. Dakar: International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD).
Comparative historical and cultural issues of urban restoration measures
- M S Salehi
- B S Bagheri
Salehi, M. S., & Bagheri, B. S. (2005). Comparative historical and cultural issues of
urban restoration measures. Journal of Abady, 45, 32-39.
Vestiges of urban spirit; Isfahan's urban fabric through socio-spatial transformations
- M Sarraf
Sarraf, M. (2010). Vestiges of urban spirit; Isfahan's urban fabric through socio-spatial
transformations. Stockholm: KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, School of
Architecture & the Built Environment.
Renovation of deteriorated areas and the necessity of reviewing of preparation and execution of the Master Plan (case study: the city of Isfahan). The Scientific Journal of Nazar Research Centre (Nrc) for Art
- M Shafiey Dastjerdi
Shafiey Dastjerdi, M. (2013). Renovation of deteriorated areas and the necessity of
reviewing of preparation and execution of the Master Plan (case study: the city
of Isfahan). The Scientific Journal of Nazar Research Centre (Nrc) for Art,
Architecture & Urbanism, 10(24), 15-28.
Scottish Natural Heritage A handbook on environmental impact assessment, Guidance for Competent Authorities, Consultees and others involved in the Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Scotland
- D Tyldesley
- Associates Edinburgh
Tyldesley, D. & Associates Edinburgh (2009). Scottish Natural Heritage A handbook
on environmental impact assessment, Guidance for Competent Authorities,
Consultees and others involved in the Environmental Impact Assessment
Process in Scotland, Prepared for SNH by David Tyldesley and Associates
Edinburgh 3rd Edition.
Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan, Ref. 1397. World Heritage List
UNESCO World Heritage Centre (1992-2015). Masjed-e Jame of Isfahan, Ref. 1397.
World Heritage List. Available at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1397 Accessed
5 April 2015.
State of conservation (SOC)
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2015). State of conservation (SOC).. Available at:
http://whc.unesco.org/?cid=171&l=en&&action=list&id threats=8&&, Accessed
26 March 2015
Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritag: In response to the World Heritage Committee decision
UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2011). Convention concerning the protection of
the world cultural and natural heritag: In response to the World Heritage
Committee decision WHC-11/35 COM/INF.9A, Paris: UNESCO Pub.
Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage (Phnom Penh): In response to the World Heritage Committee decision
UNESCO World Heritage Committee. (2013). Convention concerning the protection
of the world cultural and natural heritage (Phnom Penh): In response to the World
Heritage Committee decision WHC-13/37 COM/20. Paris: UNESCO Pub.
Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions
UNESCO. (2005). Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of
cultural expressions. Paris, Available at: https://en.unesco.org/creativity/
convention/what-is/convention-text, Accessed 25 March 2015
Operational guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention
- Unesco
UNESCO. (2012a). Operational guidelines for the implementation of the World
Heritage Convention. Paris: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Available at:
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide12-en.pdf Accessed 16 December 2016
World heritage committee places Liverpool on list of world heritage in danger
- Unesco
UNESCO. (2012b). World heritage committee places Liverpool on list of world heritage
in danger. UNESCOPRESS. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/
culture/themes/singleview/news/world heritage committee places liverpool
on list of world heritage in danger/#.VYAi40a3swI Accessed 16 December
2014
State of conservation of world heritage properties, a statistical analysis
- R Veillon
- Unesco World Heritage
- Centre
Veillon, R., & UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2014). State of conservation of world
heritage properties, a statistical analysis (1979-2013). Paris: UNESCO Pub.