ABSTRACT
The conservation of urban heritage means addressing a complex system of cultural, social, political, and economic issues. These issues are clearly apparent in the cases of conserving ‘living’ or inhabited historic towns that are confronted with consistent pressure for modernization, growth, and change with the resulting threats to their historic integrity (ICOMOS 1987; UNESCO 2005, 2008a). Amidst such pressures, urban conservation efforts can no longer be primarily focused on the maintenance of the visual, structural, and functional integrity of historic urban fabrics as it has been for decades (Feilden and Jokilehto 1998; Jokilehto 2003; Stovel 1998). Furthermore, urban conservation efforts need to overcome the perception that they are a hindrance to the socio-economic progress of cities. Although preserved historic areas are instrumental in economic development via heritage tourism, tourism alone is inadequate for justifying urban conservation as a mechanism for social progress. Sustainable urban conservation should, therefore, be an approach that integrates urban development within heritage conservation, that involves the local community in heritage management, and that addresses non-physical dimensions of urban heritage (de Merode, Smeets, and Westrik 2004). Although there is no specific model to follow, it is widely recognized that a sustainable and integrated urban conservation approach includes social and economic development, ecological protection, community empowerment, and understanding the wider socio-physical context within which the historic urban area is situated (Yang and Pharés 2003).
