HUL approach
[The HUL] approach to managing historic urban landscapes is holistic; it integrates the goals of urban heritage conservation and those of social and economic development. This method sees urban heritage as a social, cultural and economic asset for the development of cities. The recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape was adopted on 10 November 2011 by UNESCO’s General Conference. The historic urban landscape approach moves beyond the preservation of the physical environment, and focuses on the entire human environment with all of its tangible and intangible qualities. It seeks to increase the sustainability of planning and design interventions by taking into account the existing built environment, intangible heritage, cultural diversity, socio-economic and environmental factors along with local community value.
As an approach, it considers cultural diversity and creativity as key assets for human, social and economic development. It is an alternative method to cutting the city up through ‘zoning’ into separate conservation areas, which thereby become ghettos of historic preservation. The HUL approach is applied in local development, legislation, sustaining and enhancing identity, and city branding.
The HUL approach action principles:
- Undertake a full assessment of the city’s natural, cultural and human resources;
- Use participatory planning and stakeholder consultations to decide on conservation aims and actions;
- Assess the vulnerability of urban heritage to socio-economic pressures and impacts of climate change;
- Integrate urban heritage values and their vulnerability status into a wider framework of city development;
- Prioritize policies and actions for conservation and development, including good stewardship;
- Establish the appropriate (public-private) partnerships and local management frameworks;
- Develop mechanisms for the coordination of the various activities between different actors.
Source(s): New Life for Historic Cities: the Historic Urban Landscape Approach Explained