ABSTRACT
Before plunging into detailed investigations of conservation-related agents and types of change, it is important to set the scene with an examination of the entire background to urban conservation. Fashions in appreciation of art, architecture and landscapes change, and the relationship of these changes with conservation action is important. This chapter discusses the idea of the conservation of buildings and entire urban areas through the medium of changes in social attitudes and official action, particularly in the form of legislation. This is achieved through a general survey of the development of ideas and legislation in the past two centuries in a variety of countries with differing socio-cultural contexts, and a detailed comparison of recent legislation in Britain and the USA. Both the overview and detailed comparison allow reference to be made to one of the key questions posed in Chapter 1, principally in identifying what mechanisms have developed to allow the identification and protection of the built heritage. This forms a necessary background to studies of current attitudes and conservation actions, which will address the other key questions posed.
