Silvio Mendes Zancheti and Lúcia Tone Ferreira Hidaka
The purpose of this paper is to set out a proposal for an indicator of conservation (Indicator of the State of Conservation – Isc) to assess the state of conservation of urban…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to set out a proposal for an indicator of conservation (Indicator of the State of Conservation – Isc) to assess the state of conservation of urban heritage sites. It was designed as a monitoring instrument to perform two tasks: to evaluate how the conservation of an urban site evolves over time (internal performance analysis); and to compare cities’ conservation performance (comparative performance analysis).
Design/methodology/approach
The indicator was developed using the theoretical approach. The paper presents the main concepts used as key performance indicators, that is, significance, integrity and authenticity and how they contribute to meeting the objective of attaining the sustainable conservation of heritage sites.
Findings
The Isc indicator is expressed as a function of three key performance indicators (KPIs) of significance, integrity and authenticity that are assessed by surveying the opinion of the main stakeholders involved with the conservation management of sites. The structure of the Isc is fixed and the same for all sites, independent of their geographical location. However, the structure of the KPIs can be adapted to express the social composition of stakeholders and to use the capabilities and resources of the management institutions of the sites.
Practical implications
The indicator may be used for monitoring the state of conservation of the World Heritage Urban Sites.
Social implications
The indicator allows a non‐biased evaluation of the conservation process of the World Heritage Urban Sites.
Originality/value
The paper presents the Indicator of the State of Conservation (Isc), which is the first indicator of this type.
Details
Keywords
Silvio Mendes Zancheti and Lúcia Tone Ferreira Hidaka
The purpose of this paper is to set out the weighting of the indicator of conservation (Isc) to assess the state of conservation of urban heritage sites and three key performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to set out the weighting of the indicator of conservation (Isc) to assess the state of conservation of urban heritage sites and three key performance indicators (KPIs): significance, integrity and authenticity.
Design/methodology/approach
The weighting process was developed using the Delphi technique with the participation of 34 international specialists from all regions of the world.
Findings
The Isc indicator is expressed as a function of three KPIs: significance, integrity and authenticity. All KPIs have the same relative importance in the Isc. The resulting values of the weights of the opinion of the stakeholders in the KPIs were in conformity with theory. Clearly the stakeholders can be divided into two groups of importance. The opinion of the local specialists, long‐standing residents and cultural reference groups were shown to be more important than the opinion of new residents and visitors.
Practical implications
The indicator may be used for monitoring the state of conservation of the World Heritage Urban Sites.
Social implications
The indicator allows a non‐biased evaluation of the conservation process of the World Heritage Sites.
Originality/value
The indicator of conservation presented in the paper is the first of its type.
Details
Keywords
Silvio Mendes Zancheti and Rosane Piccolo Loretto
The purpose of this paper is to set out a proposal for the concept of dynamic integrity. It is a heritage quality that may be attributed to heritage properties whose attributes…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to set out a proposal for the concept of dynamic integrity. It is a heritage quality that may be attributed to heritage properties whose attributes are capable to express past and present meanings, and therefore values, in a context of change, without relying exclusively on records of memory. So, dynamic integrity (DI) emphasizes continuity in changing urban context and may be a key concept for the new Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The concept of DI was developed using theory of complexity to critic the existing definitions of integrity and their use to in context of urban heritage area under the pressure for change.
Findings
The current concept of integrity, adopted by heritage field of knowledge, is not capable to deal with the complexity of the HUL. There is a tendency to define conservation as the regulation or control of change. This assumption is problematic since it emphasizes the changes of meanings, values and attributes, instead of the idea of continuity. Controlling change means fixing the attributes that express the meanings of heritage areas, and this is a task fated to be unsuccessful in complex cities or, even in not so complex urban sites.
Originality/value
It is the first time that the concept of integrity has been put to explain and manage the dynamics of urban heritage areas.