Notes on the development of the urban heritage management concept in contemporary policies

Abstract

This paper seeks to present an overview of the development of the urban heritage management (UHM) concept by analysing documents from key international organisations in this field. The period 1964-2011 is deemed to have been marked by a paradigm shift in the discipline of conservation. Over the course of the last decade, the discussion has been focused on the development of the historic urban landscape (HUL), a concept that incorporates principles of conservation into the integral urban planning framework. However, it seems that the gap between conservation and development is yet to be bridged in practice. The first part of the paper briefly outlines the most important theoretical thought in the fields of conservation and urban planning that contributed to the development of the urban heritage (UH) concept in the 20th century. The second section reviews the UHM policies presented in documents, with an emphasis placed on the roles of particular stakeholders in the process. This paper contributes to overviewing the key aspects of contemporary UHM policies and highlighting perspectives for its future development.