Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
significant, particularly involving groups
dispossessed of their heritage, marginalised in
heritage planning, or otherwise involved in
dissonant or contested heritage problems. Third, a
development of the previous point, conservation
of places 'in the periphery', outside the North
Atlantic axis, where most work of the last two
decades has focused, will become more prominent
(
cf
. Shaw and Jones 1997). Fourth, conservation
worldwide will become more sharply focused on
the issues of resource efficiency, growth
management and capacity. In short, these are
elements of what has become
the
contemporary
key word in planning, 'sustainability'. Awareness
of finite world resources, and the implications for
continued unfettered development, will impinge
upon conservationist concerns, and not always to
the good. The 'compact city' concept, for example,
may mean large-scale urban redevelopment at
much higher densities in order to both minimise
resources wasted in travel and productive land
occupied with urban sprawl; but the consequences
for valued urban landscapes may be severe. Fifth,
academic concepts such as Conzen's more
sophisticated concept of 'historicity' (1975) could
be used to refine practice-based and theoretical
approaches to issues such as area character.
In short, the future for geographical views of
townscape conservation is likely to be one of
increasing work, addressing the 'elitist' criticisms
levelled at conservationism in recent years and the
cynicism of the heritage industry, through
broadening views on peripheral conservation,
cultural contributions to difficult heritages, and
the rising relevance of sustainability.
the concept of the 'tourist-historic city', bringing
together issues of place-identity and marketing,
planning, and developing key ideas of 'heritage'.
Ashworth, G.J. and Larkham, P.J. (eds) (1994)
Building a New Heritage: Tourism, Culture and Identity
in the New Europe.
London: Routledge. Chapters
deal with a range of applications of conservation
and heritage, particularly to issues of European
nationalism (Historical and as re-emerging in the
late twentieth century), dissonant heritage, the role
of architecture and design, tourism, and the
consumption of conservation and heritage.
Graham, B.J., Ashworth, G.J. and Tunbridge, J.E.
(1999)
A Geography of Heritage: Power, Culture and
Economy.
London: Arnold. This is a significant
geographical overview of the heritage/
conservation field, focusing on the nature of
heritage, the political, social and economic contexts,
and the use or heritage in place management.
Larkham, P.J. (1996)
Conservation and the City.
London: Routledge. A recent morphological
perspective on conservation and townscape
change, drawing explicit links with architectural,
planning and urban design practice, and beginning
to develop an international dimension.
Shaw, B.J. and Jones, R. (eds) (1997)
Contested
Urban Heritage: Voices from the Periphery.
Aldershot:
Ashgate. Useful collection focusing on
contestation, heritage and culture; and in a
geographically neglected peripheral area, away
from the usual North Atlantic axis.
Whitehand, J.W.R. (1987)
The Changing Face of
Cities.
Institute of British Geographers Special
Publication 21, Oxford: Blackwell.
Whitehand, J.W.R (1992)
The Making of the Urban
Landscape.
Institute of British Geographers Special
Publication 26, Oxford: Blackwell.Taken together,
these topics provide an overview of urban
morphological approaches to studying the
changing urban landscape and concepts of
management—of which conservation is a part.
Case studies are UK-based but include town
centres, residential areas and institutional
developments.
GUIDE TO FURTHER READING
There are many excellent texts that focus on single
structures, localities or countries, or that adhere to
narrow views of preservation or conservation. Those
listed here take wider, more inclusive perspectives,
developing themes introduced in the chapter.
Ashworth, G.J. and Tunbridge, J.E. (1990)
The
Tourist-Historic City.
London: Belhaven. Developing
