Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Plate 24.2
Bamberg,
Germany: market square.
Character relates as much
to uses as to physical form.
Here, the lively market use
and the complete built form
of the square draw attention
away from the
unsympathetic Herte
shopfront (left).
and quantified; and that whatever constitutes
character is readily identifiable to, and agreed by,
different groups in society' (Larkham and Jones
1993: p. 399). Environmental and behavioural
psychology shows that different groups in society
have very different reactions to familiar and
historic townscapes. In reviewing this literature,
Hubbard (1993) examines the dangers of basing
conservation purely on architectural and/ or
historical criteria, since such approaches largely
ignore the key role that townscapes play in
maintaining cultural identities. The challenge,
then, is to integrate 'traditional' historico-
geographical approaches to area character with
explorations of users' and residents' perceptions,
and with culture.
Box 24.2
Defining 'character' as applied to UK conservation areas: extract from current guidance
The distinctiveness of a place may come from much
more than its appearance. It may draw on other senses
and experiences, such as sounds, smells, local
environmental conditions or historical associations, for
example those connected with particular crafts or famous
people. The qualities of a place might change from
daytime to night. Such elements of character can be
identified, but not directly protected or controlled. By
defining and protecting the tangible, such as buildings
and the spaces formed between them (streets, squares,
paths, yards, and gardens), the activities and uses that
make up the special character of a place can be
sustained. Effective physical conservation measures
should be rooted in firm land use policies in an adopted
development plan.
Most of the buildings in a conservation area will help
to shape its character in one way or another. The extent
to which their contribution is a positive one depends not
just on their public face, but on their integrity as historic
structures and the impact they have in three dimensions
perhaps in an interesting roofscape or skyline. Back
elevations can be important, as can side views from
alleys and yards.
In a large conservation area, or one where its
development spans a considerable period, the character
may vary greatly within its boundary. For example, a small
market town may have a medieval core, focused on a
market place or church, then a Georgian phase of
development of grander houses and formal streets,
followed by the railway, and eventually by modern housing
at the edges and on gap sites. Where the character is
composite in this way and the phases of growth are clear,
it will often be worth analysing them separately.
Elsewhere, rebuilding may have taken place many
times over the same sites, resulting in overlays of building
forms which are often contained within an ancient
framework. The richness of an area today may thereby
reflect the build-up of successive historic periods.
(English Heritage 1997: pp. 2-3; Relevance to the
approach of urban morphology is evident)
