Zprávy památkové péče 2019, 79(3):292-303 | DOI: 10.56112/zpp.2019.3.07

Historical values on the urban scale: Authenticity of historical cities

Jan Jehlík

Fakulta architektury ČVUT

For the urban context of heritage protection, the following premise may be established: urbanism is primarily a theory of the formation and organization of a relatively coherent and distinct settlement, therefore the fundamental value attributes contain information on phenomena and attributes that support the structural and behavioral integrity of cities; the city as a whole is made up of a natural and cultural stratum, therefore the fundamental value attributes contain information on the foundation, development, and image of the settlement; the city as a whole is instrumentally structured from parts and elements, therefore the fundamental value attributes contain information on the organization, division, and composition of the settlement; the city as a whole is derived from its location and position within the landscape, therefore the fundamental value attributes contain information on the morphology, topography, and typology of the settlement; the settlement is an integral part of the landscape and its core is an integral part of the city as a whole, therefore the fundamental value attributes contain information on the links of all three of these basic parts of the settlement; the urban core is a constitutive and therefore stabilizing element for the whole city, therefore the fundamental value attributes of the core contain information about the phenomena that maintain this stability. The basic phenomena, manifestations, and attributes of the environment can therefore be structured, for the purposes of heritage care, into the following scale sequence which, mostly, also reflects the time frequency of the transformation: 1. the position of the founding act in the context of the country and landscape; 2. the geometry of the network of paths and places, and the demarcation of outer boundaries or walls; 3. the shape, dimensions, and nature of public spaces, blocks, and plots; 4. the proportions, scale, and interconnectedness of structures; 5. the method of basic use of structures and areas; 6. layout and architectural expression; 7. articulation, materiality, color. Fundamental value attributes contain information about the existence, degree of authenticity, and synergy of these phenomena. The value and significance of a historical core are directly dependent on the extent and quality of its involvement in the whole city. In this context, it is therefore necessary to examine the degree of continuity, stability, and transformation in the significance of paths, stability and transformation in the significance of destinations, and the transformation of the natural centers and volumes of housing and amenities. A comprehensive image of the city is reflected in its organization, respectively in the manifestation of its developmental strata. In this context, it is necessary to examine the position of the natural center of the city, the importance of the core in the current image of the city, and the projection of contemporary life into the strata of its core. The comprehensive structure of the city is reflected in its division, respectively in the degree of interaction of its individual parts. In this context, it is necessary to examine the involvement of the core in the complex of characteristic parts and their interconnections, the hierarchy of paths and places, the degree of polyfunctional use, and the boundaries and interactions between the parts. The comprehensive construction of the city is reflected in its composition, respectively in its characteristic landscape and urban morphology, topography, and typology. In this context, it is necessary to examine the extent to which the historical structure (core, landscape) is the governing pattern for the morphogenesis of the city. The key phenomenon is the network of paths and places as the basic skeleton of the city and as a means of permeability and accessibility of the surroundings, the whole, and parts. This is related to the quality of public space in its physical and action manifestation. It is therefore necessary to examine the possibilities of natural and pleasant movement from all parts of the city as well as the conditions of an attractive stay on these paths in terms of linking locations. The decisive parameters are the scale, proportions, and interrelationships of all compositional elements - in the manifestation of matter, space, and processes. In this context, it is necessary to measure and interpret the transformations and anomalies of phenomena in their dimensions, quantities, and ratios. The urban value of a historic core is the stability (sustainability) of the basic city pattern, the viability of the physical and activity structure of the city and its parts, and the adequacy of all its interfaces, primarily the interface between the core and its neighborhoods. In this context, it is necessary to examine the form of the depiction and description of the basic characteristic of the city as a set of essential phenomena determining the basic framework for the overall development of the city; the natural involvement of the historical core in the life of the whole of the city is examined, among others. The urban value of the historical core is determined by the care for the elements of its memory, the maintenance of his habitation in the sense of an adequate mix of housing and relevant services, and the valuable contribution of present-day manifestations. In this context, it is necessary to examine the key conditions for the natural and general involvement of the core in the awareness of the city's inhabitants. The comprehensive identity of the historic center is maintained beyond the aforementioned by the active participation of the entire city's population in the life of the center, both through respective festivals, ceremonies, and rituals, as well as the comfortable and natural movement into the center and a stay there. In this context, it is necessary to examine the conditions of the city core for the exercise of daily and festive activities of the inhabitants of the whole city, primarily in terms of identification with its history and culture. The values of the city center, respectively of the entire city, are maintained through means of active care at regulatory, initiation, and action levels, and also at strategic, tactical, and operational levels in planning and design. In this context, it is necessary to examine the tools of care for the values and development of the city in the context of general knowledge and tendencies as well as in the context of the purpose and links of existing legal instruments.

Keywords: urbanism, heritage properties, values, phenomena, attributes, method

Published: September 1, 2019  Show citation