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“Sustainable Development Based on Valorizing the Historic Urban Fabric,” Paper by Dr. Mona Serageldin, 9th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, 2007

Abstract

Mona Serageldin authored this report and presented it to the 9th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia in June 2007. The report posits that cities must preserve their identities in the midst of change in order to integrate their cultural heritage and their economic development strategy, and outlines 10 steps towards accomplishing this objective.


[Excerpt: Mona Serageldin, “Sustainable Development,” 1 – Background, page 1]

“From ancient oracles to medieval pilgrimages to modern tourist attractions, cities flourished capitalizing on their cultural and natural heritage long before national governments understood its potential as a driver of national economic development. Development is a multifaceted concept integrating economic, social, institutional and cultural dimensions. It deals with the present and strives to shape the future. It entails change spurred by visions and a sense of purpose but it also embodies varying degrees of continuity that define identity and shared values.”
……

“Today culture is recognized as an important dimension of development, but viewpoints differ widely regarding the role that the legacy of the past should play in shaping the future and the role economic considerations should play in determining the use of the heritage. Two key economic trends pose serious challenges to heritage preservation:

1. The economic restructuring brought about by globalization and the massive population movements it has generated are increasing the ethnic and cultural diversity of cities and contributing to generating urban dynamics of growing complexity;

2. The rapid pace of technological innovation is generating a constant onslaught of new messages and images displaying symbols and lifestyles associated with status and achievement that tend to devalorize the old. Simultaneously, the propagation of unfiltered information is fostering the perpetuation or revival of distinctive cultural values, beliefs and customs. Ethnically diverse subgroups among a population can cluster and operate in separate patterns of activity within the same urban space.

“Astute political and civic leaders view these trends with apprehension and try to overcome fragmentation by promoting interactions that enhance shared values across cultures and counter narrow views that create exclusion.”

Project Year:2007
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Kazan, Russia (Conference Location)
Reports:Sustainable Development Based on Valorizing the Historic Urban Fabric: (Mona Serageldin, June 2007)
Authors:Mona Serageldin
Sponsors:Getty Conservation Institute
Categories:Historic Districts
  
ID:2007_06_001

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IEP August 2000: “Boston, Massachusetts: Strategic Plans and Community Participation,” International Education Programs, 2000

Abstract

The Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design conducted an International Education Program (IEP) on “Boston, Massachusetts: Strategic Plans and Community Participation” in August 2000. The curriculum for the program included case studies and project summaries from influential offices and agencies from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Many case studies were replicated for later years of the IEP program.

Multiple curriculum components are contained in each document. See individual cover pages for full section indexes, or the Program Reference Materials List (Volume 1 Index). For example, the document “Boston Strategic Plans and Community Participation (Case Studies)” contains multiple works:

  • A Civic Vision for Turnpike Air Rights (Strategic Development Study Committee, Boston Redevelopment Authority Boston, MA, 2000)
  • Private/Public Development of South Station (Center for Urban Development Studies, Cambridge, MA, 1995)
  • Boston 400 Guide to Community Participation (Boston Redevelopment Authority, Boston, MA, Summer 1999)
  • Choosing to Compete: A Statewide Strategy for Job Creation and Economic Growth: Executive Summary (Executive Office of Economic Affairs, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, May 1993)

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Project Year:2000
Project Type:IEP; Education
Geographic Regions:Boston, Massachusetts, US / Providence, Rhode Island, USA / New York Metropolitan Area, USA / Paris, France / Szczecin, Poland / Tirana, Albania / St. Petersburg, Russia
Reports:
Authors:François Vigier; Mona Serageldin; John Driscoll; David Jones; Christopher Rogers; Kath Phelan; Linda Haar; Thomas Nally; Carol R. Johnson; Deborah Goddard; Richard Henderson; Martin Nee; Jorge Martinez; David Knowles; Margaret Thalwitz; Robert Yaro; Kimberley Wilson
Sponsors:Center for Urban Development Studies, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:International Education Program; Education
  
ID:2000_08_002

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Beginning in 1982, the Unit for Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design hosted International Training Programs (ITP), an annual series of 2- to 4-week summer seminars designed to strengthen the decision-making skills of senior professionals in public and private agencies responsible for urban development.

The I2UD Digital Library holds curriculum materials for ITPs from 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998:

The tradition of ITPs continued after 2000, when the Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) (a re-organization of the Unit) continued training seminars as International Education Programs (IEP) from 2000-2004:

Programs included inter-linked modules, lectures, case studies, interactive computer simulation models, site visits to urban projects, discussion groups and networking with professional counterparts from international metropolitan regions. Sessions had a modular format and structured team teaching, taught by a team of senior faculty and guest lecturers. Programs ended with a synthesis presented through a project evaluation exercise. Participants used case projects to examine strategies from the viewpoint of both public and private partners — to assess the feasibility and potential impacts of policies and projects on the community and the city. Presentations by guest speakers, representing U.S. and international agencies, NGOs, and community groups, were also integrated within the pedagogic framework of each module.

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“St. Petersburg Center City Rehabilitation Project,” Urban Planning Network for St. Petersburg, Russia, 2000

Abstract

The St. Petersburg Center City Rehabilitation Project was a cooperative urban planning network produced through a collaboration between the Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and professional associates at the Leontief Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2000.

Documents include a summary by Nicholai Zunda of the Leontief Institute, “City of St. Petersburg, Russian Federation Making Municipal Investment More Effective: Principles for the Formation of a Municipal Investment Program.” The summary measured the improvement plans within the St. Petersburg city administration, and estimated the social effectiveness of the program. The Leontief Institute contributed a document titled “Strategy for the Development of the Centre City of St. Petersburg: Plan for Action and Achievement.”

CUDS contractor David C. Jones contributed an Annex to the the Leontief document, titled “Cost Definition and Recovery for Infrastructure, Land and Property.” Leontief’s authors also contributed a case study covering the preparation of the St. Petersburg municipal investment budget, including expenses, sources of revenue, and budgetary processes.

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Project Year:2000
Project Type:Urban Planning Network, Case Study
Geographic Regions:St. Petersburg, Russia
Reports:
Authors:David C. Jones; Nicholai Zunda
Sponsors:Leontief Center, International Centre for Social and Economic Research (ICSER) (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Categories:Historic Districts
  
ID:2000_01_001

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