UCL ISH co-organises Historic Urban Landscape Forum

On 21 and 22 March 2017, UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage and The Bartlett School of Architecture co-organized a two-day Forum, under the patronage of UNESCO, to critically reflect on the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape and its impact on inclusive and sustainable urbanization, prosperity and wellbeing. The Forum was generously supported by the Bartlett Synergy Grant.

The Historic Urban Landscape Forum is an international networking initiative to raise awareness and constructive dialogue amongst researchers, institutions and practitioners who engage with the timely and multifaceted problematic of the historic urban landscape.

In the face of rapid urbanisation, migration and intercultural exchanges/conflicts, the role of the historic urban landscape as a cultural, social and economic resource needs to be redefined via inclusive regulatory systems. The term and concept of the 'Historic Urban Landscape' was introduced by UNESCO in the 2005 Vienna Memorandum to promote a holistic approach in urban conservation practices. HUL Forum looks at the scientific assessment of the built environment and focuses on the ways interdisciplinary research can provide meaningful and practical insights for interpreting the UNESCO 2011 Historic Urban Landscape Recommendation into evidence-based methodologies.

The invited guests lead a debate around Goal 11 from the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development, Sustainable Cities and Communities. Discussions addressed the following core themes related to the historic urban landscape:

Assessment & delineation.

Management practice & policy.

Cultural diversity, identity & sense of place.

Sustainability & well-being.

Keynote speaker: Francesco Bandarin.

The conference was organised by Kalliopi Fouseki (UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage) and Falli Palaiologou (Space Syntax Laboratory, Bartlett School of Architecture).

Image caption: Falli Palaiologou (School of Architecture), Francesco Badarin (UNESCO Assistant Director-General) and Kalliopi Fouseki (Institute for Sustainable Heritage).