Pratiche di interculturalismo quotidiano. Etnografia di un condominio multietnico

This paper explores the processes of construction of difference in the materiality of a space of daily interculturalism, through the analysis of the interactions characterizing the life of a multiethnic condominium, which is located in the historic center of Arezzo (Tuscany, Italy). An ethnographic study was conducted which – entering the wider movement of post-qualitative methodologies – incorporated in the analysis process our experiences and personal interpretations, since directly involved and participating in the reality observed as residents in the housing complex. Our interest is aimed at studying the practical use of difference in everyday life, analyzing a condominium as effective space of multiethnic coexistence where matter, subjects, spaces, categories, and geographies are articulated along a continuum of sense and experience, which has found a learning laboratory in the building and its “practices of living”.

REGENERACIÓN URBANA, SENTIDO DE PERTENENCIA Y APROPIACIÓN EN ÁREAS PATRIMONIALES

El desapego y abandono de las ciudades históricas latinoamericanas aparece como una problemática recurrente, pese a los múltiples proyectos de regeneración que en décadas recientes se han implementado. En este contexto, se analiza la incidencia de este tipo de proyectos en el sentido de pertenencia y apropiación, de cuatro espacios públicos: tres plazas y un parque, ubicados en el Centro Histórico de Cuenca en Ecuador. Con el objetivo de identificar y estudiar la relación entre las características físico-espaciales y actividades en los espacios con el usuario y su percepción, para así corregir y potenciar futuras intervenciones. Se emplea una metodología con enfoque mixto, cualitativo y cuantitativo, mediante el desarrollo de herramientas que permiten analizar el sentido de pertenencia y apropiación de los usuarios tras los proyectos de regeneración. Se encuentra que las plazas y el parque estudiados se utilizan mayoritariamente de paso y que sus usuarios no se sienten identificados con ellos, debido principalmente a la falta de actividades cotidianas que fomenten la vida de barrio, situación vinculada a la pérdida de vivienda y de diversidad de usos. Finalmente, se concluye con una serie de recomendaciones que buscan fomentar el sentido de pertenencia y apropiación en espacios públicos de áreas patrimoniales. Palabras clave: Apego, vida urbana, patrimonialización. AbstractThe detachment and abandonment of Latin American historic cities appear as a recurrent problem, despite the multiple regeneration projects that have been implemented in recent decades. In this context, we analyze the incidence of this type of project on the sense of belonging and appropriation of four public spaces: three plazas and one park, located in the Historic Center of Cuenca in Ecuador. The objective is to identify and study the relationship between the physical-spatial and usage characteristics with the user and his perception, in order to correct and enhance future interventions. A methodology with a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach is used, through the development of tools that allow analyzing the sense of belonging and appropriation of the users after the regeneration projects. It is found that both, the plazas and the park studied, are mostly used for transit and their users do not feel identified with them, mainly due to the lack of daily activities that neighborhood life, a situation linked to the loss of housing and diversity of uses. Finally, we conclude with a series of recommendations that seek to foster a sense of belonging and appropriation in public spaces in heritage areas. Keywords: Attachment, urban life, patrimonialization.

Facadism: An Approach for Spatial Reconfiguration

Baghdad’s historical center is a rich site of heritage and cultural values, yet it suffers from urban deterioration. Many urban spaces and historical structures are aging, which has caused a decline in the vitality and function of axes and open spaces. This research is based on the principle of facadism as one of the main approaches to the preservation and rehabilitation of historic and traditional buildings. The purpose is to address urban degradation and the spatial reconfiguration of urban space in a way that promotes its sustainability and revitalization. This research aims to formulate a theoretical framework that includes a list of interference patterns and their role in spatial reconfiguration. This will be applied to the spatial reconfiguration and development of Al-Rasheed Street in the historic center of Baghdad. A questionnaire elicited the opinions of experts, designers, and implementers in academic and executive institutions on the possibility of reshaping local spaces using facadism. The results of the questionnaire showed that experts support the possibility of adopting this method in spatial reconfiguration in order to intervene in the degradation of historical environments, and also to create a homogeneous and interconnected urban environment that prevents the eradication of cultural and urban heritage. By adopting the preservation of a façade in its various forms, considerations need to be made regarding its compatibility with the nature of the problems in the study area and the ineffectiveness of the pattern of dismantling and transferring a building to another place. This is due to the importance of the historical place and the need to preserve all its historical items within the fabric, in addition to the effectiveness of some detailed patterns in different items of formation.

FEATURES OF SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE SYSTEM OF PEDESTRIAN ZONES IN THE HISTORICAL CENTER OF KYIV

The article substantiates the need to complete the formation of an integrated network of pedestrian spaces in the historic center of Kiev. Now the historic center covers three hills - the Upper Town, Pechersk and Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. However, the problem of creating an integrated network of pedestrian connections in the historic center of Kyiv has not yet been solved, and its formation is one of the urgent tasks today. After all, the creation of a holistic system of pedestrian ways in the historic city makes it possible to increase its tourist potential and ensure the preservation and development of historical and cultural heritage. The author proposes a method of spatial analysis to assess the state of public spaces in the city. The author's comparative analysis of two cities in the UK confirmed the importance and cost-effectiveness of pedestrian public spaces. It is noted that the existing transport infrastructure of the city of Kyiv does not provide for the formation of new pedestrian zones. The author analyzes the central squares of Kyiv: Independence Square, Troitska, Tolstoy, European, Sofiyska, Mykhailivska, Lvivska and Peremohy Squares in terms of comfortable pedestrian movement and the availability of public places. It turned out that in terms of transport accessibility, they are convenient, but not suitable for pedestrians; by use - have mainly administrative, political functions; sometimes - cultural; by category of comfort - are inconvenient, there are no sanitary conditions, places for sitting, rest, greens; these are mainly transport interchanges; by category of social function - meeting places, commercial spaces; there are no signs of identity. Means of forming a network of pedestrian public spaces and proposals for the design of individual fragments of the city are proposed. The author determines how transit space and stationary spaces are used, whether it is possible to use them as a citywide public space and connect it to the main axis along Volodymyrska and Khreschatyk.

Multicriteria decision-making to support preventive maintenance of built heritage in the historic center of Sobral, Brazil

PurposeThe study aims to identify and evaluate relevant criteria in the proposal and support of public administration policies for preventive maintenance comprised in a conservation approach to built heritage and aligned with local sustainable development of the historic center of the city of Sobral, in Brazil.Design/methodology/approachA novel multicriteria decision model adopting the Bayesian best-worst method is presented and its application and results are described. Though a systematic procedure, criteria were selected in order to protect the tangible and intangible values of cultural heritage, as well as its sustainable development. Then experts evaluate these criteria through an elicitation instrument.FindingsThe results show that for the decision problem over preventive maintenance, social contribution and historical record of built heritage are more important than its structural vulnerability, while architecture is less relevant. Due to the low restrictions, the subcriterion related to this property has the least influence. The weights can assist in the characterization of measures and policies for the protection of the built cultural heritage.Originality/valueThe use of a novel decision-making method in cultural heritage is an important initiative, given the frequent use of simple and inefficient methods. The identified and weighted criteria are important data to characterize the scenario and the topic. The results contribute to protection and development of the built heritage, encouraging the implementation of preventive conservation in the historic center, conferring to the public administration valuable information to support and propose initiatives.

Implications of Urban Law on Urban Renewal Projects in the Historical Center of Lima

The Historic Center of Lima currently shows signs of urban deterioration as a result of the processes of exclusion and spatial segregation that have characterized the intense urban growth of the city of Lima. In the face of this urban deterioration, urban renewal processes are an instrument of transformation that acts as surgery for the recovery and reintegration of deteriorated central areas into the functioning of the current city. As a general, urban law regulates urban problems resulting from the transformation of urban lands, including the deterioration of central areas. In particular, actions in traditional central areas have regulations for the protection of cultural heritage. Therefore, the execution of the urban renewal process requires different regulatory instruments to plan and manage the renewal process, which defines its scope. In this sense, the present research has been proposed to address the implementation process of three urban renewal projects in collective housing located in the Historic Center of Lima; "Casa de las Columnas", the "Conjunto de Vivienda La Muralla" and the "Proyecto Piloto Martinete", to identify the effectiveness of the scope of the legal framework of urban renewal, as well as the procedures of intervention in historic centers and monumental areas. Focus on the analysis of the public administration's management, execution, and control activities in the land transformation process of deteriorated traditional urban areas. The article consists of the following parts. First, some conceptual considerations on urban renewal and its relationship with urban law are presented. The next section provides an overview of the state of the regulatory framework for urban renewal in Peru, which is key to contextualize the analysis of the case studies. The third part presents the study methodology and the limitations of the study. The fourth part presents the case studies and develops the scope of the legal framework of urban renewal in the case studies. Finally, some final reflections and conclusions are presented that establish the important elements that should be considered in the legal framework of urban renewal.

Transfer of Development Rights and Cultural Heritage Preservation: A Case Study at Athens Historic Triangle, Greece

History and the modern world co-exist in Greece’s landscape. The urban spaces of Greek cities contain structures from ancient history alongside contemporary constructions, but intense urban development from the 1960s onwards, as in the historic center of Athens, has led to imbalances with respect to cultural heritage protection. The 1975 Greek Constitution defined the preservation and protection of the cultural environment as a constitutional mandate, and severe restrictions on the exploitation of private properties deemed to be of historical or architectural importance were imposed. Property owners were deprived of their property development rights (DRs), whereas the preservation and conservation of protected constructions became costly, resulting in abandoned buildings and a downgraded urban environment. As the debate over cultural heritage protection and urban regeneration is more topical than ever, the recent legal reintroduction of the transfer of development rights (TDRs) provides new opportunities for property exploitation with respect to cultural heritage protection legislation. Herein is presented a methodological framework on the classification and 3D visualization and representation of DRs and TDRs in relation to the cultural heritage protective framework and its implementation in a selected area of Athens’ historic center. Legal and technical aspects that affect 3D DRs and TDRs are emphasized as key elements in the successful implementation of the TDR process.

Modelling and Evaluation of the Seismic Capacity of Typical Brick URM Buildings of the Historical Center of Cuenca- Ecuador

The Historic Center of Cuenca (HCC) is located in the southern region of Ecuador. It is well known that our country is located on the so-called belt of fire of the Pacific Ocean, this area is characterized by having generated the most important seismic events in the history of mankind. More specifically, there are records that show that in the last 200 years the city of Cuenca has been exposed to earthquakes that have produced moderate to severe damage. These reasons make it possible to establish that the city of Cuenca and specifically its historic center could present important problems in the face of significant seismic events. Most of the buildings in the HCC date back to the middle of the 20th century and have used unreinforced brick masonry (brick-URM) to build their walls. This work is part of the Seismic Vulnerability Project: Seismic Damage Scenarios of the Built Heritage of the Historic Center of Cuenca. In the context of this vulnerability project, the objective of this work was to establish a family of pushover curves for three unreinforced brick masonry buildings typical of the HCC, based on a parametric pushover analysis. The definition of the typical buildings was based on an extensive work of architectural and geometric characterization of the traditional built heritage of HCC. On the basis of focusing the study on two-story buildings (the most common), the size of the floor area of the buildings (small, medium and large area) was assumed as a base parameter. Based on an analysis of the variability of different geometric and mechanical characteristics, and in order to study their influence on the pushover curves of the three typical brick URM buildings, the following study parameters were defined: 1) compressive strength of brick masonry, 2) lateral displacement capacity of brick-URM elements, 3) wall thickness. The pushover analysis was carried out with the Ruaumoko program. The model of the buildings responds to an equivalent portal frame macro-model scheme that has been formulated and validated by the authors of this paper. In order to consider the effects of the flexible floor on the dynamic response of this type of structures, a lateral load pattern that takes into account the contribution of higher order modes of vibration will be used in pushover analysis. The results will be discussed in terms of the incidence of the variability of the study parameters on the basic characteristics of the pushover curves. These results will be an essential input for the next stage of the project consisting of damage estimation for different levels of seismic action expected in the city.