IN MANY LOW- and middle-income nations, the old historic towns and villages bear evidence of a rich cultural heritage. The dynamics of rapid urbanization, shifting economic activities, rising cost of urban land and changed political focus are, however, putting pressure on many of the old historic towns. The social and economic characteristics of the towns are undergoing dramatic change while the physical character often remains unaltered. Infrastructure and the built environment deteriorate due to socioeconomic problems.
This booklet aims to illustrate the richness and complexity of the field of urban cultural heritage, giving examples from Sida-supported projects. It hopes to inspire us “…to see the potential of cultural heritage for social change” (page 5). Its six case studies, first presented at the Historic Cities in Development conference in Stockholm in May 2003, are organized in five sections. The first section includes a short editorial introduction on Cultural Heritage for Social Change, followed by an outline of the recent history in the debate on Culture and Development.
The second section (Urbanization) briefly describes the opportunities and problems associated with rapid growth in urban population, followed by a prescription for enhancement of the built environment in such a context. It uses a case study of a Sida-supported project in Bethlehem in support of its argument. The third section, titled Heritage as a Tool for Poverty Alleviation, argues that a sensible and sensitive “heritage tourism” could create new jobs and drive economic development. Projects in two cities – Quseir in Egypt and Bagamoyo in Tanzania – serve as case studies in this section. The fourth section (Sustainable Urban Environment: A Holistic Approach) uses a project in Zanzibar to demonstrate that safeguarding the cultural heritage in an urban environment requires a holistic view, dealing with the urban structure as a whole and the overall characteristics of the built environment. The fifth section (Heritage and Conflict) presents projects in Hebron and Sarajevo to argue that “…knowledge about our universal cultural heritage – including the heritage of ‘the others’ – is an important means of forwarding communication and mutual understanding among people” (page 41).