Social Sustainability of Historical Districts

Beginning in the 1960s, formerly-abandoned city centres became once again the focus of renewed public, academic, institutional and municipal interest. Widespread revitalization projects, occurring first in developed countries and, more recently, in developing countries, began in the hope of restoring historical city centres to their architectural and cultural heritage.

Large-scale reconstruction and modernization plans targeted historical buildings and dilapidated infrastructure, while the construction of new commercial, tourist, leisure and local craft activities promised to rejuvenate the city centre’s tired economy. In some cases, the arrival of the Olympic Games and other international events stimulated a frenzy of redevelopment projects in anticipation of the global spotlight.

Yet these revitalization plans have not been without consequences. Rent has often doubled or tripled, making it too expensive for lower income residents to remain in their homes and neighbourhoods, sometimes leading to ‘an international epidemic of forced evictions’. The resulting cultural and socio-economic uniformity of these newly renovated historical centres can be characterized in terms of large-scale gentrification.

It is important to recognize that historical districts are not fixed in history. Centres of encounter and exchange, these socially and architecturally rich districts are not just the living testament of a single culture’s history, but a record of the intersections of diverse peoples, ideas, cultures, politics, goods and services. Historical districts are, first and foremost, inhabited districts, whose populations are actively linked to urban spaces and buildings. The challenge, then, of revitalization projects in historical districts, is ‘how to address the numerous problems without destroying the living culture and dislocating the very people who are its custodians’.

In its ongoing efforts to analyse the current trends in cities and historical districts, to encourage dialogue among diverse urban stakeholders and to work towards the development of more socially, culturally, economically and environmentally sustainable environments, UNESCO convened a range of urban experts to participate in a Round Table on the subject of ‘Social Sustainability in Historical Districts’. This Round Table, held on 13 September 2004, was organized on the occasion of the Second UN-HABITAT World Urban Forum in Barcelona.

The Round Table marked a continuation of UNESCO’s work on sustainable development in cities and historical districts. UNESCO has consistently facilitated exchanges across disciplines and cultures in an effort to create stronger linkages among mayors and municipal authorities, academics, architects, planners and international NGOs.

For example, during Habitat II in Istanbul (June 1996), the Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS) of UNESCO organized a Round Table on the ‘Renewal of Inner City Areas’ to discuss the consequences of development in historical city centres. In Venice six years later (December 2002), on the occasion of the award ceremony for the International Union of Architects and UNESCO student prize for sustainable reuse of urban wasteland, SHS followed up its investigation with a conference on ‘City Centres: Ethical and Sustainable Socio-economic Rehabilitation of Historical Districts’, where experts tackled the role of architecture in revitalization efforts. The conclusions of these two former events are chronicled in a UNESCO publication: From Istanbul 1996 to Venice 2002: Socially Sustainable Revitalization of Historical Districts. Architects Speak Out (available in the series ‘Human Settlements and Socio-Cultural Environment’) [PDF, 7.4 MB].

The Barcelona Round Table led to:

  • the cooperation between research networks on Historical Districts Sustainability “Central Europe & RehabiMed”;
  • an international students competition on the theme of ‘Urban Design and Historical District Renewal Area’, launched by Carleton University, under the auspices of UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA). The results of this competition were presented during the UN-HABITAT World Urban Forum III Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in June 2006;
  • Gangjin International Seminar: 3 April 2006 and Beijing International Seminar 21-23 January 2007. The proceedings were published in the UNESCO collection "Human Settlements and Sociocultural Environment."
  • Expansion of the project since 1996 through the elaboration of a toolkit on "Historic Districts for All: a social and human approach for sustainable revitalization." An expert steering committee validated the tool-kit (including a brochure and a manual) during working meetings in 2007 at UNESCO. Experimental training sessions were held with the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF) in Hué (Vietnam) in October 2007, with UN-HABITAT in Seville in May 2008 and Nanjing in October 2008. In Nanjing the final version in English [PDF, 3.2 MB], French and Chinese was officially launched during an experimental site workshop.
  • The toolkit is now used as a basis for the training of local authorities in China and Arab States.
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