This tour will explore four towns in the Republic sharing information and good practice on what makes a high quality place.

From contemporary lighting schemes and public realm design in Cork to the colourful shop fronts in Youghal, embedded in the towns history, and Waterford’s vision “ to create a framework of public and civic spaces of character and visual quality” in a medieval city known for its ancient City Walls and craftsmanship, and finally an international conference in Kilkenny Castle – “Serving people while preserving heritage” – which will bring together practitioners and representatives from policy making bodies.

Programme Details and Online Booking

Places are limited and bookings must be received by 12 June.

While the impacts of Global Climate Change are several, this three-day colloquium will focus on those of immediate and obvious significance to the Low Countries, namely rising sea levels and increased river flooding. Papers presented will provide comparative experiences from diverse nations in all the world’s regions that are subject to these threats as they impact cultural heritage.

More Information

Programme

Registration

Contacts:

Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation
Abdijstraat 13-15
9700 Oudenaarde
België

Fax: +32 55 30 35 19

e-mail: colloquium@enamecenter.org

Florence, March 5th-9th, 2009

Call for Papers – Abstract Submission Open

The Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation of Florence, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), and ICCROM (International Centre of the Preservation and Restoration of the Cultural Heritage) are glad to announce that the abstract submission for the III ICOMOS Scientific Committee Theory and Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration Conference The Image of Heritage: Changing perception –permanent responsibilities is now open.

The conference will be divided into 4 sections:

SESSION I: Changing the approach to the cultural property in the past: physical and intellectual

SESSION II: Media between man and cultural property: their influence on the perception

SESSION III: Mass tourism and cultural property: the place of cultural tourism

SESSION IV: Responsibility for the future; the role and responsibility of mass media; the sustainable cultural tourism

Please submit your abstract (and specify the session chosen) no later than December 10^th 2008 to icomos.theory@fondazione-delbianco.org. The abstract should not be longer than 5.000 characters (without images). The first-order headings should be in Times New Roman 12, bold, upper/lowercase letters with the text in Times New Roman 11, 1.5 spacing.

Among all the abstracts received:

a.       20 of them will be selected by December 20^th, 2008 by the ISC Theory Commission Members (headed by Prof. Andrzej Tomaszewski ) for the oral presentation during the conference in Florence ;

b.       the ISC Theory Commission reserves the right to select other abstracts whose authors will be invited to submit final reports; those reports will be included in the virtual proceedings of the conference and visible on the official ISC Theory Commission’s web site. The authors will also have the opportunity to take part in the conference in Florence as auditors (non-speakers).

The official ISC Theory Commission’s web site will also host a Forum where users can interact with the Members of the ISC Theory Commission.

If you have any queries regarding this meeting, please email: icomos.theory@fondazione-delbianco.org

28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, at 5.45 for 6.00pm (to end by 8.00pm)

The Antonine Wall

Tuesday 7 October 2008

Dr David Breeze (Historic Scotland) on “The Antonine Wall and its relevance to the wider European definition of the boundaries of the Roman Empire”

Tuesday 18 November 2008:

Robin Turner, Head of Archaeology at the National Trust for Scotland, will describe the process of submitting St Kilda for the double nomination of both cultural and natural values, and will set this in the context of other similar sites.

Tuesday 20 January 2009:

Adam Wilkinson, Director, Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, will discuss the issues for the management and enhancement of the central core of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh within the wider city, and its broader social and economic planning framework, with reference to other similar World Heritage cities in Europe.

Tuesday 17 February 2009:

Dr James Arnold, Director of New Lanark Heritage Trust, will speak about the mixed use of the World Heritage Site with its social, economic and historical values, and will make comparisons with other similar multi-use sites in other parts of Europe.

Spaces at each lecture/discussion will be limited, and early reservation of places is recommended (contact Lester Borley: e-mail: lesterborley@waitrose.com or tel: 0131332 2364).

Cost for each lecture is £5 (Europa Nostra UK or NTS member) or £7 (non-members), to include a glass of wine at the conclusion of each event.

Sherban Cantacuzino, ICOMOS-UK President Emeritus

We are please to announce that architect Sherban G. Cantacuzino originally from Romania, CBE FSA D.Univ (York) MA (Cantab) FRIBA and ICOMOS-UK President Emeritus, has been awarded a Medal in Category 3 – Dedicated Service at the 2008 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage.

Sherban has dedicated his life to architecture and heritage conservation in Europe and around the world. He has taught, published and helped shape national and European policies and programmes in the field of cultural and natural heritage protection. He held functions in a large number of committees in the United Kingdom and in several international organisations. After 1989, he focussed on Central and Eastern European countries and offered his experience to organise measures to safeguard the heritage in these countries. He initiated numerous projects, particularly in Croatia and Romania , where he is the Founder-President of Pro Patrimonio, the National Trust of Romania. The career of Sherban Cantacuzino is valued for its outstanding contribution to the welfare of Europe ‘s cultural heritage. His continuous energy and dedication for the cause of historic buildings and environmental conservation in Romania has been particularly admired.

“Management of Urban Changes – Measuring Performance of Local Policies”

The INTA (International Urban Development Association) Summer Institute offers a unique training programme focusing on the innovative urban management practices that strengthen local urban development and regeneration strategies. The INTA Summer Institute is for City managers and decision makers. The mix of theory and practical exercises will provide an operational sense to the learning and understanding of urban development process.

Massa Lubrense and Vesuvio, Italy

• help cities & territories to make the most of their potential
• facilitate urban identity & creativity strategies
• tutor city & urban leaders
• mediate in the urban change processes
• encourage innovative management processes
• focus on tailor-made solutions

The daily programme will include:

· Methodological sessions on visions and strategies, instruments and languages, networking and connections

· Applied sessions dedicated to the practical application of methodologies

· Cities case study sessions benchmarking international practices

For more information and the full programme please click here

Leonor Medeiros with Stuart Smith, international industrial heritage expert, on Carn Brea overlooking Camborne mining town, Cornwall

Leonor Medeiros, while studying for a Masters in Heritage Management at the Ironbridge Institute, successfully completed her Work Attachment project with ICOMOS-UK at the end of June. Her project compared the experiences of UK and Portuguese mining sites and landscapes, identifying good practice in Britain to take home to Portugal.

The Report, entitled: ‘Managing Mining Landscapes: Sharing Experiences from the United Kingdom and Portugal‘, considers three sites in southern Portugal, situated on one of the largest sources of iron sulphide in the world, the Iberian Pyrite Belt. These are Lousal, Aljustrel and S. Domingos. Through site visits and meetings with conservation and heritage professionals at Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site and Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, Leonor learned about challenges concerning conservation, interpretation and opportunities for sustainable development and regeneration through, for example, cultural tourism.

Attending the ICOMOS-UK Summer Conference on Cultural Landscape Management enabled Leonor to meet several people involved in the management of industrial heritage, and in addition to field visits in the UK and Portugal, gained valuable experience in understanding how international guidelines such as the European Landscape Convention can be implemented for the successful conservation and presentation of a site.

Read the Managing Mining Landscapes report

Executive Summary of ‘Managing Mining Landscapes: Sharing Experiences from the United Kingdom and Portugal’ by Leonor Medeiros

This report is the result of a work placement with ICOMOS-UK, part of a MA in Heritage Management at the Ironbridge Institute, taken during May to June 2008, under the supervision of Tehmina Goskar. Its themes will be developed further into the course dissertation.

Lousal, Portugal, photo: Leonor Medeiros

The project aims to undertake an assessment of best practice for the management, presentation and interpretation of industrial mining landscapes, taking as examples two World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom – the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape and the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, which can suggest ideas of improvement to three developing mining sites in Portugal – Lousal, Aljustrel and S. Domingos.

Engine house restored as a private dwelling, Porthtowan, Cornwall

The focus on projects of restoration and conservation, the strong brand development and marketing strategies, the possibilities for creative interpretation and the variety of projects taking place in the UK have shown the opportunities of sustainable tourism-based development of abandoned mining sites; for the improvement of the local communities and the benefit for visitors. The importance of diverse international directives produced by organisations like ICOMOS also play an essential role overcoming challenges. In Portugal, with the investment in this area just beginning, the possibility to learn from the mistakes and successes of other sites provides invaluable information and excellent role models.

This report graciously acknowledges the time, effort and kindness of colleagues in Cornwall, Blaenavon and Portugal in enabling the necessary research.

Read the Managing Mining Landscapes report

Read the report in Portuguese

Link to ICOMOS Portugal

ICOMOS-UK Summer Conference delegates on Todd Crag, Lake District

Selected Summary Proceedings of the ICOMOS-UK 2008 Summer Conference are now online.

The conference was organised in collaboration with the University of Cumbria and took place on 12-14 June 2008 at its Ambleside Campus in the Lake District. The packed conference programme showcased speakers from across the UK and Europe, with a particular focus on cultural landscape World Heritage sites.

The persistent themes were how cultural and natural environments can be integrated in landscape management; the importance of educating local communities, especially young people in and about their landscapes; sustainable infrastructures and sustainable methods; the importance of a spirit of place or terroir in making one landscape, its produce and people, distinct from another; the challenges posed by government agendas and the use of international guidelines such as the European Landscape Convention and World Heritage Convention in protecting the integrity of cultural landscapes; and how landscape encompasses both tangible and intangible qualities, past and present.

If ever there was a conference which allowed delegates to ‘live’ its themes, it was this one. The peaceful and breath-taking environment of Ambleside was a constant reminder of the human yearning for discovering a sense of place. After the formal proceedings over two days, all delegates were invited to sign up to an afternoon guided walk on the Friday (13 June) (Rydall Hall followed by a circuit of Rydal Water; Low and High Sweden Bridge); Todd Crag) and a day’s excursion on Saturday (14 June) with options to visit a number of sites in the Lake District (Evolution of the Great Langdale landscape; Aira Force and Lyulphs Tower, Ullswater; Tarn Hows and Monk Coniston; Vernacular Buildings in Troutbeck; Villa architecture in the Lake District 1770 – 1900; Hill farming and land management at
Glencoyne Farm, Ullswater).

Prehistoric rock art on a boulder, Great Langdale Valley, Lake District

The close relationship between people and their landscape being part of the continuity of ‘place’ was most evident in the passion with which our guides led groups of delegates over Fells, in the valleys, around historic buildings and around the Lakes.

On behalf of the conference, we thank all the guides for leaving us with such a refreshing impression of the history and nature of the Lake District.

Some will remember the conference for the picturesque scenery and walks, some for the new information they gleaned from listening to others, others still, from the many opportunities afforded by meeting over lunch, tea and dinner, or while on a tour. After the evening buffet on Thursday 12 June, delegates who attended the conference dinner were treated to a short but highly-charged performance (a mini ceilidh) of Lake District folk music by local band, Striding Edge, including traditional clog dancing: a true demonstration of how place, landscape, and culture function as one. Listen to traditional Lakeland music by Striding Edge

Selected Summary Proceedings of Cultural Landscape Management

“Landscapes, Identities and Development”
Lisbon / Óbidos, Portugal, 1-5 September 2008

This conference has been organised by: TERCUD (Territory, Culture and Development Research Centre)

Full conference details

The 23rd Session of PECSRL will be a new opportunity for exchange and interaction among European and other scholars and practitioners interested in landscape and development research and planning. The aim of the meeting will be to provide insights on historical, current and prospective linkages between changing landscapes and natural, economic, cultural and other identity features of places and regions; to bring forward new ideas about the landscape related identities as local and regional development assets and resources in the era of globalized economy and culture; to assess the role of historical geography and landscape history as platforms of landscape research and management in European contexts and their transcontinental perspectives; to strengthen landscape perspective as a constitutive element of sustainable development, and to promote international cooperation in landscape and development research.

The following main themes will be addressed:

• Landscapes as a Constitutive Dimension of Territorial Identities
• Landscapes as Development Assets and Resources
• Landscape History and Landscape Heritage
• Landscape Research and Development Planning and Management

Ditch and mound, Tara Hill, photo: Holly Hayes

“Tara has significance far beyond Ireland itself,” said Professor Claire Smith, President of the World Archaeological Congress. “Its iconic significance derives from its unique cultural character, as situated in a broader landscape. The World Archaeological Congress strongly encourages the Irish Government to instigate formal protection measures for this area, and to consider nominating Tara for inscription as a World Heritage site.”

The Congress facilitated a Tara stakeholders’ panel. During this forum a number of competing and often contradictory claims were made and the World Archaeological Congress has now commissioned a report on the Tara discussions.

The World Archaeological Congress stressed that its report would not interfere with the legal and consultative planning process already completed in Ireland. “We do not question the validity of the planning process undertaken in Ireland. Our purpose is to learn lessons for the future and for other countries with issues surrounding development archaeology,” said Professor Smith.

“There are many strong opinions about Tara and it is important that valid claims receive due attention, and that misinformation be sifted out. This can only be done through a considered study,” Professor Smith said.

Recognising that the reburial of ancient remains in Ireland is subject to the provisions of the National Monuments Act and the agreement of the National Museum of Ireland, the World Archaeological Congress also draws attention to the Vermillion Accord on human remains and suggests that any human remains excavated from the cultural landscape of Tara should be re-interred with due respect as close as possible to their original locations, as this is where these people would have wished to be buried.

The World Archaeological Congress notes the significant adverse impact that motorways and other forms of development can have on valuable cultural landscapes. It will consider explicit inclusion of these concerns in its Codes of Ethics.

“Throughout the world, developments such as motorways can have significant adverse impact on cultural landscapes,” said Professor Smith. “Cultural heritage needs to be factored into the planning process from the beginning.”

“In order to address these issues from a global perspective the World Archaeological Congress will be holding an Inter-Congress with the theme “Rethinking relations of Archaeology and Development.”

The Inter-Congress on archaeology and development is likely to be held in Lund, Sweden, in 2009.

Read full media release

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Professor Claire Smith
Email: claire.smith@flinders.edu.au