- The Role of Heritage Conservation in the Management of Urban Regions   104 kb by    Merey Enlil, Zeynep & Dincer, Iclal | zeynepenlil@superonline.com    Short Outline THE ROLE OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF URBAN REGIONS This paper explores the synergy created by a civil initiative, Association of Historical Towns, which sparked a new interest in cultural heritage and natural values and had a positive impact on conservation policies in Turkey. It critically analyzes projects by member cities. Abstract The Role of Heritage Conservation In The Management Of Urban Regions This paper explores the synergy created by a civil initiative, Association of Historical Towns, which sparked a new interest in cultural heritage and natural values and had a positive impact on conservation policies in Turkey. In the Turkish context, this synergy to protect and enhance the cultural and natural resources is a rather crucial one given the highly speculative land market where local politics have been mediated through building rights and the maximum exploitation of urban land. Listed buildings and protected areas (natural or built), have for long been seen as impediments for progress and economic gain, and municipal authorities took pride in being the agents and facilitators of “new” and “modern” developments. The Association, whose members rapidly increased and doubled within the first two years after its foundation, not only incited a voluntary commitment for the protection of the cultural capital by member cities, but by attempting to bring together different actors it also created a wider public awareness. In their endeavor for combating decaying or obsolete economies and to acquire a more competitive edge in the urban arena, local authorities began to develop a new vision in which the heritage values increasingly have a central role in the definition of new identities for their cities. Meetings held every 2-3 months, each time hosted by a different member city, provided a stimulating platform to discuss issues, exchange experiences and ideas lead to an unprecedented synergy and cities began vie with each other in developing conservation projects. However, the new climate supportive of heritage conservation is not without its problems. The prevalent statutory system as well as the culture of planning in Turkey limits most of these invaluable efforts to mere physical prescriptions and un-imaginative assignments in terms of new uses. Clearly, there is a need to go beyond merely creating “packaged and animated landscapes of heritage” targeted for the tourist industry with varying degrees of success in terms of the stated aim; and to mobilize local forces to come up with more creative ideas in the re-use of their cultural capital and strategically employ them in defining a new role for their cities backed up with policies for equitable and sustainable management of their heritage. This paper will analyze success and failure of these efforts by taking case-studies from member cities of the Association and will attempt to highlight alternative paths for adapting current planning practices in the Turkish context. Keywords heritage conservation, management, partnerships Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2004: Management of Urban Regions   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper