Celebrating Our Urban Heritage
The
physical and cultural legacy of urban regions is a valuable asset to be
preserved, enhanced, and honored. This precious legacy connects history to
future generations, enables broad-based sustainable prosperity, and emphasizes
quality of life as a key building block for economic well-being, environmental
health, and social vitality. The competitive advantage of places - what makes
them attractive and special - is the character and spirit of community that is
embedded in our history. The rapid pace of change in the 21st century
underscores the need to conserve the treasures of the past, and to pay homage
to the dynamic evolution of human ingenuity and urban civilization over many
centuries. Market systems are increasingly reflecting greater respect for the
value of what is old and traditional. Global Urban Development works on
projects that highlight the economic and social importance of, and encourage
public and private investment in: preserving historic buildings and districts,
celebrating ethnic and cultural diversity, promoting heritage tourism, and
appreciating recreation and nature. Many of these projects emphasize citizen
participation, civic activism, and community-based initiatives, from arts
festivals and crafts fairs to architecture museums and neighborhood walking
tours.
This committee
recently produced an edited volume on Urban Heritage published in August 2008
as a special issue of Global Urban Development
Magazine. This project was initiated
by the committee, and the magazine’s editors are the committee’s three
co-chairs, Luigi Fusco Girard, Donovan Rypkema, and
Belinda Yuen, together with Marc Weiss and Nancy Sedmak-Weiss. Several members of GUD’s committee on
Celebrating Our Urban Heritage contributed articles to this special issue of
GUD Magazine, including Robert Freestone, Donovan Rypkema,
Kathryn Smith, and Pablo Vaggione.
Celebrating Our
Urban Heritage Committee
Co-Chairs: Luigi Fusco Girard, Donovan Rypkema, and Belinda Yuen
DeWayne Anderson
Uri Avin
Vinayak Bharne
Margaret Caust
Simon Cavelle
Louise Cox
Storm Cunningham
Hank Dittmar
Robert Fishman
Andrzej Flis
Fabiana Forte
Robert Freestone
Jorge Gaspar
Martin
Eric Hobsbawm
Vladimir Ira
Kenneth Jackson
Kate Joncas
Mona Khechen
Benjamin Kuras
Randolph Langenbach
Keith Laughlin
Stella Madrid
Derek Martin
Steven Miller
Zane Miller
Karen Moon
Christiane Nasser
Henrik Nolmark
Erik Pages
Deependra Prashad
James Ragan
Maria Rosario
Laura Lee Ross
Stuart Rowlands
Kathryn Smith
Jacques Teller
Pablo Vaggione
Marc Weiss
Carol Willis
Barbara Wolfson