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THE POTENTIAL OF HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT AS A PLANNING TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF URBAN HERITAGE. THE CASE STUDY OF BUKHARA, UZBEKISTAN
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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.
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We argue that the role of organizations as agents in the construction of place has been overlooked in the management and organizations literature. Using concepts from sociology, cultural geography, and management, we develop a typology that illustrates how organizations contribute to the social construction of place. This typology presents an analytic scheme for examining the place-building characteristics of organizations and a basis for developing theories on the interdependence between places and organizations.
In 2011, ICOMOS published its Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessment for Cultural World Heritage Properties. By 2016, over 100 Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) had been requested by UNESCO. This paper provides an analytical critique of the HIA Guidelines focusing on their implicit assumptions. We argue that the assumptions in the HIA Guidelines derive from the ‘preservation’ discourse in heritage management, rather than from the ‘conservation’ or ‘heritage planning’ discourses. This is important because the discourse affects the way impacts and their severity are assessed within HIAs, thereby potentially affecting the conclusions reached. We also argue that this framing results in miscommunication and misunderstanding amongst the different stakeholders, about: (1) their perceptions of the nature of heritage value; (2) the perceived purpose of HIA; (3) the way impacts are assessed; and (4) the differing agendas of stakeholders. We recommend that HIA practitioners acknowledge the existence of the various discourses. This could make HIA a more effective heritage management tool. We also consider that for HIAs to be more robust that they be conducted by a multidisciplinary group and with a peer-review mechanism.
Cultural heritage management is going through a process of change, where the focus is no longer the management of monuments, groups of buildings or sites, but the cultural
significance they convey, such as the values and attributes, either tangible or intangible,
which motivated these assets to be considered outstanding and designated as cultural
heritage. Cultural heritage managers need to ensure that the management practices and
methods they follow remain adequate and when they don’t, to revise them in order to succeed on protecting the cultural heritage assets under their safeguard. This article aims to provide a brief background and state-of-the-art on heritage (impact) assessments. Further, it introduces a method to assist heritage (impact) assessments, which can either be applied to identify, monitor evolution in time and/or help determining the impact of various agents of change, such as climate, natural catastrophes or development, on the cultural significance conveyed on cultural heritage assets. An illustration on the progress and outcomes of its application on World Heritage properties located in Guimarães (Portugal), Willemstad (Curacao), Galle (Sri Lanka) and Zanzibar (Tanzania) will be presented and sustain the discussion on the contribution of such method to cultural heritage management, while exploring its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Last, conclusions are presented, as well as, recommendations for further research. The method, application and validation presented in this article are very useful to facility managers dedicated to cultural heritage management, policy makers who regulate cultural heritage protection and planning processes, and technical experts performing heritage (impact) assessments. Besides raising awareness for heritage (impact) assessments, this method also expects to contribute to the increase of cultural heritage management practices that enhance cultural heritage and in turn enable the contribution of cultural heritage to the sustainable development of present and
future generations.
Bukhara, an ancient city along the Silk Roads in Uzbekistan, is undergoing dramatic change – an increase in visitation, introduction of new materials, and construction techniques – along with a growing awareness of the need for protection. It has been recognized, in Bukhara and other historic cities, that there must be a new approach to urban heritage, balancing conservation along with development and change. The HUL recommendation proposed such an approach, taking into account diversity of stakeholders, management, and planning tools. With this vision, the World Heritage property of the Historic Centre of Bukhara has been preparing its Integrated Management Plan. The preparatory process has prioritized and integrated cultural heritage into the urban planning agenda. The process is not yet complete, but, despite its own challenges, it has already achieved success by bringing together for the first time different partners to envision a heritage city as cultural living capital on the path of protecting while developing this unique Central Asian medieval city.
Robust management systems for World Heritage are essential for the protection and preservation of the outstanding universal value of the sites. A well-managed planning process is an opportunity for the concerned authorities and stakeholders to share values, establish collaboration, and build capacity. However, in practice, these systems often lack of proper baseline information, coordination of activities with the wider urban setting, and a regulated planning framework. Thus, there is a need to validate appropriate procedures in heritage documentation, and to establish comprehensive management frameworks. This chapter focuses on the management practices and strategies, as well as on past and existing challenges and opportunities, along the Silk Roads in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
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.
The paper Heritage Impact Assessments as an Advanced Tool for a Sustainable Management of Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites: From Theory to Practice interprets UNESCO’s decisions to include the concepts of cultural landscapes and historic urban landscapes and to use cultural heritage as a pillar of sustainable development as a paradigm shift with regard to the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Instead of focusing on the conservation of isolated monuments, ensembles or natural areas devoid of people, preservation strategies now have to concentrate on inhabited areas on a large scale. Such complex cultural World Heritage properties often face considerable pressure to change. In this context, Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) are increasingly applied to assess transformations in cultural World Heritage properties. However, such studies still show highly variable qualities when implemented in praxis. Against this background, it is argued that there is a need to link both heritage management and HIAs closely to strategies of urban and regional planning and related governance policies. Consequently, the theoretical starting point of the paper is that HIAs need to be combined closely with planning processes and participation strategies in order to avoid failures in assessment processes and to fully explore their potential to support the sustainable development of complex World Heritage properties. Both present shortcomings and potentials in the practical application of HIAs are shown on the basis of several case studies. Finally, an outline of necessary future steps in research and education with regard to the practical use of HIAs in cultural UNESCO World Heritage properties is provided.
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.