ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter sets out the dilemma at the heart of this book. There is a widespread agreement that urban areas must change, or they will stagnate. Yet, at the same time, there are growing pressures for preservation from both the general public – or, at least, an educated and vociferous minority – and from increasing elements of the design and planning professions. For the most part, Western cities are creations of the capitalist order, where investment fuels an economy and becomes part of the cycle of wealth creation. This capitalist imperative runs counter to the set of values based on aesthetic, environmental, non-quantitative criteria. So there is a clash of values: land and property exploitation for capital gain versus consideration of art, aesthetic and historical appreciation. There is also, in aesthetic terms, an essential tension between the old and the new, the familiar and the unfamiliar (Figure 1.1). This heightens our reactions to, and colours our enjoyment of, urban landscapes as with other fields of aesthetic endeavour. There is tension, too, between the uses of heritage to legitimate socio-political positions and conflicting ideologies of dissenting groups; hence the targeting of élite architecture to represent the national identity, and the targeting of those same structures for demonstrations or destruction. It is the nature and scale of this conflict which are major problems, remaining unresolved in theory – for there is no generally accepted theory of how to manage urban landscapes for conservation – and practice – as many post-war buildings in historic areas demonstrate. But the production and management of the changing urban landscape are processes in which conflicting ideologies are deeply embedded, and the common depiction of tension as a simple dichotomy of retain or redevelop is a gross over-simplification
Figure 1.1 Visual contrast: tension in the urban landscape: Swansea Castle and overshadowing office block (author’s photograph)
. The production and maintenance of the physical fabric of the urban environment
absorb a large amount of the wealth of the Western world, and have done so for centuries, giving rise to the historic compositeness of many urban landscapes. Furthermore, a strong
case has been made for the social, cultural and psychological significance of the townscape. Many studies show the need, in these terms, for the preservation of historic townscapes, in outward appearance at least. Economic reasons for preservation also exist and while practically strong, they are not intellectually as compelling as these other reasons. Substantial planning problems arise as townscapes age and as the social and economic conditions under which they were created change. Buildings become structurally, functionally and economically obsolete.
