http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-47-3.pdf
UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL,
SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
FIFTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF STATES PARTIES
TO THE CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION
OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE
Paris, UNESCO Headquarters, Room IV
10-11 October 2005
Item 7 of the Provisional Agenda: Adoption of a Declaration on the Conservation of
Historic Urban Landscapes
SUMMARY
The General Assembly is requested to adopt a Declaration on the Conservation of Historic
Urban Landscapes (Decision Conservation of Historic Urban Landscapes (see Document
29 COM 5D) based on the Vienna Memorandum on theWHC-05/15.GA/INF.7).
Draft Resolution: 15 GA 7 : see Point II.
I. Declaration on the Conservation of Historic Urban Landscapes
The General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention:
Noting that the issue of contemporary architectural interventions in and around World
Heritage properties is increasingly a cause for concern among policy makers, urban
planners, city developers, architects, preservationists, property owners, investors and
concerned citizens;
Acknowledging that an international conference on “World Heritage and Contemporary
Architecture - Managing the Historic Urban Landscape” took place in Vienna, Austria,
from 12 to 14 May 2005, following a request by the World Heritage Committee at its
27th session (UNESCO, 2003) (Considering that an important set of guidelines for the
conservation of historic urban landscapes conference in Vienna and welcomed by the
World Heritage Committee at its 29th session (Durban, 2005) (Recalling that guidelines
and orientations for the conservation of historic areas are included in several international
Charters and Documents, such as the 1964 “International Charter for the Conservation
and Restoration of Monuments and Sites” (Venice Charter), the 1968 “UNESCO
Recommendation concerning the Preservation of Cultural Property
endangered by Public or Private works”, the 1976 “UNESCO Recommendation
concerning the Safeguarding and Contemporary Role of Historic Areas”, the 1982
ICOMOS-IFLA “International Charter for Historic Gardens” (Florence Charter), the
1987 ICOMOS “Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas”
(Washington Charter), the 1994 Nara Document on Authenticity, as well as the
HABITAT II Conference and Agenda 21, which was ratified by Member States in
Istanbul (Turkey) in June 1996;
Further considering the scope of UNESCO’s
World Cultural and Natural Heritage
particular its Articles 4 and 5, striving for international cooperation and the need to
integrate the economic, social and human development of the cities inscribed on the
World Heritage List into comprehensive planning programmes;
Decision 27 COM 7B.108);, the “Vienna Memorandum”, was discussed during the internationalDecision 29 COM 5D);
Convention concerning the Protection of the(World Heritage Convention, 1972) and in
Further recalling that properties inscribed on the World Heritage List have Outstanding
Adopts the principles expressed by the Vienna Memorandum on the Conservation
of Historic Urban Landscapes as follows:
1. Continuous changes in functional use, social structure, political context and
economic development that manifest themselves in the form of structural
interventions in the historic urban landscape may be acknowledged as part of the
city's tradition, and require a vision of the city as a whole with forward-looking
action on the part of decision-makers, and a dialogue with the other actors and
stakeholders involved.
2. The central challenge of contemporary architecture in the historic urban landscape
is to respond to development dynamics in order to facilitate socio-economic
changes and growth on the one hand, while simultaneously respecting the
inherited townscape and its landscape setting on the other. Living historic cities,
especially World Heritage cities, require a policy of city planning and
management that takes conservation as a key point of departure. In this process,
the historic city’s authenticity and integrity, which are determined by various
factors, must not be compromised.
3. A central concern of physical and functional interventions is to enhance quality of
life and production efficiency by improving living, working and recreational
conditions and adapting uses without compromising existing values derived from
the character and significance of the historic urban fabric and form. This means
not only improving technical standards, but also a rehabilitation and contemporary
development of the historic environment based upon a proper inventory and
assessment of its values, as well as the addition of high-quality cultural
expressions.
In view of the challenges to the preservation of the historic urban landscape, the
General Assembly:
a.
encourages
policy makers, urban planners, city developers, architects,
preservationists, property owners, investors and concerned citizens to work
together to preserve the urban heritage, while considering the modernization and
development of society in a culturally and historically sensitive manner,
strengthening identity and social cohesion;
b.
further encourages
the enhancement of quality of life of historic cities by
compromising existing values derived from the character and significance of the
historic urban fabric and form;
c.
emphazises
the need to properly contextualize contemporary architecturestresses the importance of undertaking studies
in the historic urban landscape and
to analyze the impact on cultural, visual or other values when contemporary
interventions are being planned;
d.
invites States Parties to the World Heritage Convention
to integrate the principles expressed in the Vienna Memorandum into their (heritage conservation
and other) relevant policies;
e.
encourages States Parties to the World Heritage Convention
to integrate the concept of historic urban landscape in their nominations and in the elaboration
of management plans of properties nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List.
improving living, working and recreational conditions and adapting uses without