Managing Change

Part 1 of this volume consists of five chapters that examine broader issues of conservation principles and approaches in historic cities of Asia. The contributions discuss various perspectives ranging from critiques of current conservation policies regarding local heritage conservation to recent trends of rapid and unplanned development of historic quarters in Asian cities. The case studies in Part 2 of this volume contextualise current debates on the role of community engagement to conserve historic urban quarters and examine diverse contexts across Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Philippines. All five chapters are about real-world projects where the authors were actively involved in various roles – as facilitators, professional advisers, community leaders and coordinators, and activists. While some chapters present critical review and commentary; others provide lived experience of working with communities in preserving their local heritage. It is often seen that participatory community approaches employed by concerned authorities for heritage conservation projects based on recommendations by experts do not always aid local communities due to lack of heritage awareness and limited application of community engagement exercises. Hence, in most heritage development projects, there remains a significant divide between the authorities responsible for policy planning and the actual users of the heritage. Why does local heritage matter to communities? The contributions explored the fundamental reasons for this question and argued that heritage mean more than just mere identity, continuity and accumulated layers of memories.

The heritage is also a tool for the community coming together as one and its revitalisation, economic growth, and sustainability. The notion of heritage is not mainly about the past instead it matters to the people of the present and how they anticipate their future. It is inevitable for historic Asian cities to evolve. Moreover, for their sustainable development, it is pivotal to keep a balance between development and heritage conservation.

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