Pending feedback: Adapting the approach of the HUL Recommendation for Indonesian universities

About the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape

On 10 November 2011, UNESCO’s General Conference adopted the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape by acclamation, the first such instrument on the historic environment issued by UNESCO in 35 years.

The Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL Recommendation) calls on Member States to integrate conservation and management of cultural heritage in cities and settlements with policies and practices for sustainable urban development. It applies to all historic cities, not only to historic cities inscribed on the World Heritage List. It advocates a landscape approach for identifying, conserving, and managing historic areas within their broader contexts, considering the interrelationships between the physical forms, natural features, and social and cultural values. The HUL Recommendation is an additional tool to integrate policies and practices of conservation of the built environment into the wider goals of urban development while respecting the inherited values and traditions of different cultural contexts. In order to facilitate implementation, the UNESCO General Conference recommended that Member States take the appropriate steps to:

• adapt this new instrument to their specific contexts;
• disseminate it widely across their national territories;
• facilitate implementation through formulation and adoption of supporting policies; and
• monitor its impact on the conservation and management of historic cities.

(36C / Resolution 41)

Adapting the approach of the HUL Recommendation for Indonesian universities

Following the recommendations outlined in Resolution 41 of the 36th session of the General Conference (36C / Resolution 41), a partnership of Indonesian and Dutch partner cultural institutions has sought to disseminate the concept of Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) in Indonesia. This cooperative effort has resulted in the publication of Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Quick Scan Method. Handbook for Indonesian University Lecturers. The handbook describes a methodology adapted to the Indonesian context and especially developed to disseminate the HUL approach in universities.

The handbook was published in November 2021 by the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, in collaboration with IPB University (Bogor), Universitas Trisakti (Jakarta), Heritage hands-on (Amsterdam), and the Netherlands Agency for Cultural Heritage (RCE), Amersfoort. It seeks to complement and adapt UNESCO’s HUL method (including the 2020 Fukuoka Outcomes and the 2016 HUL Guidebook), exploring opportunities within this framework and promoting the sustainable development of historic cities.

The methodology was initially developed through workshops in Muntok (South Sumatra) in 2018 and Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan) in 2019. Following the lessons learnt in these initial workshops, and based on practical experiences, the methodology was refined and published.

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The publication of the handbook aims to promote conversations on the implementation of the HUL Recommendation in Indonesia through participatory workshops organised by Indonesian universities for students and young professionals, together with local stakeholders, communities and governments. This approach is consistent with higher education national policies, such as ‘Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM)’, which encourage students to develop interdisciplinary competencies through flexible and self-directed learning. It aims to complement existing heritage courses and promote project-based and collaborative learning, including with the government sector, NGOs, local communities and heritage practitioners.

The Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Quick Scan Method. Handbook for Indonesian University Lecturers can be downloaded free of charge in English and Indonesian.

Source: Hasti Tarekat Dipowijoyo, Heritage hands-on, 2021

To learn more 

• Browse the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Quick Scan Method. Handbook for Indonesian University Lecturers.
• Learn more about the detailed process and results of the workshops of Muntok and Banjarmasin.

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Contact

• P.J. (Peter) Timmer MA, Senior Adviser Cultural Heritage
  A: Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Cultural Heritage Agency
  www.cultureelerfgoed.nl
• Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan ST. MSc. PhD.,
  Head of Architectural Research Unit,
  Department of Architecture,
  Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
  www.eng.ui.ac.id