Cover Image

APPROACHES TO MANAGING URBAN TRANSFORMATION FOR HISTORIC CITIES

This paper investigates how management performance for historic cities can be defined and assessed within the context of Macao’s World Heritage nomination. Drawing on multiple perspectives on urban transformation and heritage protection, it identifies indicators and criteria that illuminate how citi...

Full description

Saved in:
Published in:Review of Culture
Main Author: Herbert Stovel
Format: Articles
Published: Instituto Cultural de Macau October 2002
Subjects:
Articles
Online Access:https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40004/2691
Summary:This paper investigates how management performance for historic cities can be defined and assessed within the context of Macao’s World Heritage nomination. Drawing on multiple perspectives on urban transformation and heritage protection, it identifies indicators and criteria that illuminate how cities translate conservation objectives into effective practice. It argues that, in World Heritage terms, a site’s protection depends not only on formal instruments but on the functioning of a comprehensive, well-implemented management system that spans the entire historic core and its constituent monuments and zones. While the Operational Guidelines require adequate protection and mechanisms, the mere existence of a management plan is not a reliable indicator of protection adequacy; the crucial question is the actual impact of conservation measures, the state of conservation, and the coherence of policies, strategies and actions in practice. The paper proposes an integrated approach: management of Macao’s twelve nominated properties should be governed by common standards and shared objectives through an overarching urban-management framework, rather than isolated site-level plans. Building on Ferdinand Lamarca’s notion of a “vision” for the city, it emphasizes embedding heritage within a future destination statement and specifying how to reach it, including the character of appropriate strategies for change. The author concludes with practical implications for policy, governance, and monitoring—advancing city-wide, heritage-responsive management that benefits citizens irrespective of World Heritage nomination outcomes.
ISSN:1682-1106

Similar Items