Urban Heritage within Urban Renewal Policies

#### **Chapter 1**

## The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan

*Shatha Sakher and Kabila Hmood*

#### **Abstract**

This book chapter aimed to identify the role of civil society organizations in protecting the urban heritage in As-Salt city in Jordan. For collecting data, the exploratory approach was employed, conducting interviews with the heads of cultural and tourism associations and the associations concerned with reconstructing the urban heritage in As-Salt city. The number of interviewees was 12 participants selected using the purposive sampling method. The results showed that despite the great desire from civil society organizations operating in As-Salt city the completed work does not reflect the actual role that civil society organizations must play in supporting and protecting the urban heritage when compared to developed countries. This can be attributed to the recent emergence of such organizations in Jordan, the idea of volunteering in the Jordanian society, lack of field experience, and the lack of awareness of the importance of nongovernmental organizations. Based on the findings, it is recommended to establish a coordination between civil society organizations and official institutions on issues of preserving urban heritage under a single and comprehensive umbrella and vision to ensure the unification of efforts through dialog, coordination, and cooperation. It is also recommended to exchange ideas and opinions on programs of maintenance, restoration, and preservation of historical buildings.

**Keywords:** civil society organizations, urban heritage, restoration, As-Salt, historical buildings

#### **1. Introduction**

Jordan, ancient in its history and originality, possesses many unique cultural and natural heritage sites, which date back to various eras from prehistoric times until the end of the Islamic eras. As-Salt city is one of the prominent heritage sites considered as the first urban site in Jordan to be included on the World Heritage List and the sixth Jordanian site on the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

As-Salt city is located 28 km west of Amman (**Figure 1**), and it is the center of Al-Balqa Governorate (**Figure 2**). It includes many important archeological sites from different eras.

As-Salt is home for the oldest museum in Jordan (the Archeological Museum), As-Salt Historical Museum (Abu Jaber House) (**Figure 3**), the English Hospital, As-Salt Secondary School for Boys, the Tomb of the Unknown Turkish Soldier, and many heritage neighborhoods such as the castle, Al-Khader, the Jada, the old As-Salt neighborhood, the Skafiya market, and the Royal Roman Cemetery in Wadi Shuaib [1]. In the city, the doors of the churches meet with the doors of the mosques. This is noticeable in the Great Mosque of As-Salt, which was built on the ruins of a mosque dating back to the Mamluk era, and it is opposite to the English Council and the Church of the Good Shepherd within the path of "Harmony". Nearby is the 1886 Latin

**Figure 1.** *As-salt city in Jordan. Jordan map. As-salt city in Jordan. As-salt city.*

*The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

**Figure 2.** *The city of As-salt is the center of Balqa governorate.*

**Figure 3.** *As-salt historical museum (Abu Jaber house). (source: Photos by Dr. Kabila Hmood).*

Church, which is among hundreds of archeological and religious sites. At the heart of the city, there are five Christian and Islamic religious shrines, including the shrine of the Prophet Al-Khidr and the Orthodox Church (**Figures 4**–**6**), which was built next to an Ottoman cave in 1682 and restored in 2004 [2].

This global recognition of the importance of the city requires preparation and expectation of visits and a large number of tourists. This entails greater responsibility and continuous plans for the development of the city to ensure the preservation of heritage and the continuity of the city's registration on the World Heritage List. Civil society organizations work in cooperation and interaction with governmental

#### **Figure 4.**

*As-salt includes many important archeological sites from different eras. Many important archeological sites of As-salt. Balqa tourism directorate. As-Sukar house.*

organizations in order to play an important and fundamental role in defining priorities and challenges in development projects, including, in particular, the urban heritage. This is because of the specificity of these organizations represented in their relationship with the target groups, their closeness, and their integration with the different groups in society. This relationship allows civil society organizations to have a clearer and deeper vision of their urgent needs and the problems and obstacles that

*The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

#### **Figure 5.**

*As-salt includes many important archeological sites from different eras. (public sites). As-salt. Alkhazar street. Hammam street. Al-Midan Square.*

may encounter development projects in this regard, and they can convey a clearer and more credible picture to the decision-making authorities [3].

In Jordan, civil society organizations began forming between 1921 and 1948. More than 50 civil organizations were established forming the basic nucleus of economic, social, and political structures such as chambers of commerce, social associations, sports, cultural, and intellectual clubs. From 1948 to1967, the conditions and the socio-political environment developed due to the high rates of education, the spread of schools and institutes, the growth of population, the construction of new cities, the revival of cities on new economic, political, and cultural bases. In addition, the work of official governmental organizations expanded, achieving stability and general development for the various sectors of the Jordanian people. During the period between 1958 and 1965, there were about 116 clubs in Jordan, in addition to numerous

#### **Figure 6.**

*As-salt includes many important archeological sites from different eras. (mosques and churches). Prophet Shoaib shrine (source: Photos by Dr. Kabila Hmood).*

professional and trade union associations. Professional unions began to emerge in the year 1950, and the syndicates of lawyers, doctors, dentists, and engineers were formed. At this stage, the first legal legislation recognizing the right of workers to form a union framework for them was approved. The workers union was established in 1954, and there were more than 39 unions at the end of 1957. The number of associations increased in 1961 to 226 social associations [4], and it went up until it reached 2300 organizations. The number of members also exceeds one million, and its spread in many Jordanian cities and villages is one of its most important strength factors.

Civil society organizations in Jordan include 12 bodies of social organizations spread all over the regions of the kingdom, namely: political parties, professional unions, labor unions, social and charitable societies, environmental organizations, sports and youth clubs, human rights and democratic development organizations,

#### *The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

women's organizations, employers' organizations, protection and health care associations, and what is known on behalf of organizations on the edges of civil society [5]. In As-Salt city, a number of different civil society organizations emerged and diversified into various fields of work. These include charities, associations dealing with youth, sports, women and children affairs, cultural and tourism associations, and centers playing significant roles on how to preserve and protect the urban heritage in the city. This responsibility does not fall on the state or a specific entity only, but all individuals, regardless of their positions and roles. Each individual must contribute to the task of preserving the cultural heritage of the city, and with this collective concept of responsibility, society can achieve and sustain this task.

#### **1.1 Research problem**

Civil society organizations are the organizational framework for supervising and educating community members, with the aim of integration and participation in activating volunteer work in society and active participation in various societal issues, including the preservation of urban heritage. This is achieved through working to educate individuals and prepare them to be ready to face the dangers to which monuments and historical buildings are exposed. Locally, interest in the role of community organizations as a partner in change, development, and development at all levels and in various fields has escalated, as a key partner in the process of economic growth, development, education reform, and finding appropriate solutions to social issues facing society (Al-Arifi, 2012).

The Canadian Heritage Center [6] affirms that the concept of urban heritage is broad and encompasses the natural and cultural environment that includes natural landscapes, historical places, cultural sites, buildings, environmental diversity, and past and present cultural practices. It also includes the knowledge that society has acquired in the past and present, and its current life experiences. Heritage is a record of the processes of historical development, and it expresses them to form the essence of national, regional, and local identity to become part of contemporary life.

Urban heritage is a concept that is always characterized by instability as clear and continuous changes occur to it resulting from the effects of society on the set of components of the urban heritage. Through this vision, it is assumed that there is a need to approach the concepts of urban heritage from a different point of view that requires concerted efforts, whether at the educational, political, or social level, in order to develop an action agenda capable of contributing to the preservation of urban heritage. Through this study, we try to answer the main question: What is the role of civil society organizations in As-salt city in protecting the urban heritage? What are the challenges that stand in the way of that?

#### **1.2 Research hypothesis**

The study postulates that civil society organizations have a major role in preparing and planning programs and projects and implementing policies that protect antiquities, historical buildings, and urban heritage in As-Salt city. Thus, it is assumed that these organizations play an important role in the field of tourism development and preservation of antiquities as antiquities represent the material aspect of civilization and an important material source of national income.

#### **1.3 Significance of the study**

The importance of this study stems from the great role that civil society organizations play in preserving the heritage, protecting it from deterioration, tampering and extinction, and avoiding exposing it to danger, spreading awareness among all segments of society in order not to trespassing on monuments and historical buildings. Thus, this study will contribute to the field of scientific study and enrich scientific knowledge in the field of urban heritage.

It is hoped that the following will benefit from the results of this study:


#### **1.4 Aims of the study**

This study aims to identify the role of civil society organizations and organizations in preserving and protecting the urban heritage from encroachment, protecting it from deterioration, tampering and extinction, and avoiding exposing it to danger. The study also introduces some methods, techniques, and programs to protect and secure the urban heritage from risks and how to protect them through our study of a model in As-Salt city in Jordan. The study also aims to enrich the theme of urban heritage and its cultural and historical importance to the nation and the cultural status, and it represents of a cultural status contributing to the overall cultural and economic balance.

#### **2. Literature review**

#### **2.1 Civil society in Jordan**

Civil society is principally an intertwined fabric of relations that are established between its members on the one hand and between them and the state on the other hand. These relationships are based on the exchange of interests and benefits, contracting, compromise understanding, disagreement, rights, duties, responsibilities, and holding the state accountable at all times when it is necessary to hold it accountable [7].

Kandil believes that civil society represents the totality of voluntary, nonhereditary, and nongovernmental social organizations that nurture the individual and

#### *The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

maximize his ability to participate in public life. Civil society organizations play an intermediary role between state organizations and heritage organizations. This definition excludes the relationships based on family or clan bases, which are referred to as hereditary.

Millawi [8] states that there are a number of terms given to civil society organizations such as civil organizations, nongovernmental organizations, charitable organizations, nonprofit organizations, voluntary organizations, and volunteer work organizations. In France, for example, it is called social economy, in Britain, it is called public charities, in Germany, it is called associations and unions, and in Japan, they are referred to as public interest institutions. Tlilan [4] defines civil society organizations as voluntary political, economic, social, and cultural organizations, which operate in multiple fields and independently of the authority of the state and seek to achieve multiple purposes such as participation, upbringing, defending their goals and the interests of their members, spreading cultural awareness, and contributing to overall development.

Jaribae [9] argues that civil society is a group of free and voluntary organizations that are established to provide services to citizens, or to practice various humanitarian activities and are committed in their existence and activity to the values and standards of respect, compromise, tolerance, participation, and the peaceful management of diversity and difference.

The expansion of community organizations within a particular country, their supervision of multiple sectors, and their contribution in managing various fields is considered a positive indicator of the extent of the state's development, and its ability to absorb individual and community initiatives emanating from informal bodies, to serve vital projects in the country. The legitimacy of the participation of community organizations in public life is not an intellectual luxury, but rather there are constitutional rules and international commitments that establish this participation, give it a legal dimension, and give it a legitimacy [10].

The importance of the role of community organizations stems from the investment in creative human energies, contributing to building a society based on deep moral values. Community organizations provide any society with strong foundations for building democracy, achieving social justice, helping individuals achieve their aspirations by positively influencing public policies in the fields of education, health and human rights, supporting anti-corruption policy, and solving problems facing society in its various sectors [11].

#### **2.2 Strengths and weaknesses of civil society organizations in Jordan**

The spread of community organizations in Jordan in many Jordanian cities and villages is one of its strengths, which generates knowledge of the environment (people, culture, and customs), building good relationships with society, motivation and ability to participate, and the developmental impact that community organizations have on individuals, which includes developing and building their capabilities. In addition, community organizations are also sources of information for society and individuals, and they can provide education for individuals on general values such as participation, concern, tolerance, respect for human rights, and rejection of violence. What increases the points of strength are the state's political interest in civil society and its various organizations and the political, social, and economic openness. Jordan's signing of international agreements that helped the growth of civil society organizations in addition to their diversity and specialization

in various fields enriches and increases the strength of society. Civil society organizations play an important role in communication between individuals and organizations teaming up to achieve their goals, serve the community, and solve its issues. In addition, the multiplicity of community organizations in their directions, goals, and the field in which they work gives them a social advantage in resolving issues facing society [7].

There are a number of weakness points in community organizations, including the influence and affiliation of some organizations with political parties and religious currents. This makes them lose their independence and credibility in field work. Some organizations function for purely commercial and personal activities for the purpose of material gain and other facilities because of some financial difficulties and criticism of some organizations. One of the negative aspects is also the conservative nature of Jordanian society, especially in the areas outside the capital Amman. The conservative nature of society hinders the participation of women and youth in these organizations. In addition, the unstable economic and political conditions in the region affects the state's relationship with organizations and the nature of their work [9].

In As-Salt city, civil society organizations working in the field of tourism and culture are many and diverse, including As-Salt Reconstruction Foundation, the Jordanian Society for Heritage Preservation, the Fine Artists Association, Al-Khader Street Forum for Culture and Arts, As-Salt Cultural Association, As-Salt Cultural Club, Friends of Tourism Association. The following **Table 1** shows the organizations with their year of establishment:

#### **2.3 The urban heritage in As-salt**

As-Salt city is characterized by its old neighborhoods with a unique architectural character built of yellow stone dating back to the golden age of the city between 1890 and 1920 (**Figure 7**). Due to the nature of the area, which is composed of rugged mountain ranges, these neighborhoods were formed in a way that is akin to cumulative construction between narrow streets and connected stairs, characterized by window openings and skillfully carved door arches [12].

Before 1866, the buildings were of a single storey made of clay and coarse stone, and ceilings carried on tree trunks. After that, the city was influenced by the urban line in the city of Nablus—Palestine, where the floors were multiplied and yellow


#### **Table 1.**

*Civil society organizations working in the field of tourism and culture in As-salt city.*

*The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

**Figure 7.** *The urban heritage in As-salt.*

stone was introduced as a basic component of the city's architectural facades, with sculptural details such as protrusions, in addition to the use of domes and arches.

From 1890 to the First World War, the city was influenced by the European character, where tiled roofs, steel beams, and balconies appeared. After the emergence of reinforced concrete and the entry of imported materials into construction, the city developed in a rapid way so that it contained more than 2000 heritage buildings. However, the city was affected in 1927 by the earthquake that struck the region. In addition to the migration of the population to Amman and the development of infrastructure and the increase in the use of concrete in construction, only about 850 buildings remained of these heritage buildings built of yellow stone, which distinguished them from other cities in the kingdom [13].

#### **2.4 Policies for the preservation of urban heritage**

The urban heritage of nations is one of the most important determinants of the identity of society and distinguishes it from other societies as this concept includes several material and moral components that basically form the image of society in front of other societies. The urban heritage of nations is one of the most important elements that determine the identity of society and its distinction from other societies as this concept includes several material and moral components that form the basis for the image of society in front of other societies. Therefore, working to identify the components of urban heritage in societies is important and requires devoting effort, time, and money as urban heritage is reflected in the identity of society and the personal identity of its members, which means that working on determining the role of urban heritage in shaping identity is an important matter that needs a lot of study and research. Since it forms the basis for understanding the components of heritage identity [14].

Heritage is one of the most important determinants of cultural identity in societies as it contains material and non-material topics of value that have been inherited from

previous generations, in addition to the contributions of civilization at the present time. Heritage includes several components, the most important of which are tourist attractions and natural places. Ecosystems and traditional cities, which necessitates the need to preserve these heritage components in order to pass them on to future generations [15].

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 1972) indicated during the first conference on the preservation of human urban heritage that this concept includes several components that can be developed as follows:


The first criterion for listing a historical site of heritage is the temporal criterion, which means everything that the elements or components were older the higher the heritage criterion, and the second criterion is the technical criterion, that is, the criterion that has to do with architecture, architecture is an artistic system as it has certain dimensions and patterns of (openings, facades, elevations, doors, and urban spaces) where these elements are considered the visual and material incubator in which a person lives to practice his activities, and the third criterion is the set of social, economic, and environmental values; For example, a specific tribal guesthouse, where tribal meetings must take place or a specific decision was issued that affected the future of the region or its planning, and the environmental criterion, which is the amount of urban response to environmental conditions, and the fourth criterion is the symbolic criterion, such as the association of areas, buildings or roads with a specific event, such as Al Ain Square in the city of Salt, Al Ain Square in the city of Salt is a (space) that does not have buildings and Al Ain Square has gained its importance because it has a symbolic value from the gathering of individuals around the springs of water in the past, and also gather them to play popular games in our time, and based on the above, and with reference to the city of Salt, all the previous criteria are available in

*The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

**Figure 8.** *A strong dimension in the classification of the city of salt is the architectural standard in the city center.*

the city of Salt despite the availability of all four values that make the city of Salt a heritage city with distinction, one of the things that exist now in a remarkable and distinct way and took a strong dimension in the classification of the city of Salt is the architectural standard in the city center (**Figure 8**), which is represented by many distinguished buildings in the city of Salt, where the number of heritage buildings reached 657 buildings [3].

The urban heritage consists of two main elements: the tangible urban heritage, and it is expressed through works of art, paintings, sculpture, buildings, and tourist attractions. As for the intangible urban heritage, it is the means that expresses the cultural diversity in society. Its importance lies in the fact that it is based on the technical knowledge and skills that have been passed on in society from one generation to the next. Thus, the intangible urban heritage is the unwritten societal experiences and knowledge that have contributed significantly to the cultural level of society reaching what it is [16].

There are various policies for preserving urban heritage, as follows [17]:

Protection: This type of policy is limited to historical or archeological spaces, and sometimes followed by modern areas of a distinctive character, and the protection is for certain buildings, the urban fabric, or the architectural character, and sometimes it expands to include the protection of the social and economic structure along with the urban structure.

Maintenance: The process of dealing with damage or defect in the building that actually occurred or is likely to occur, and that is by the applicable means, and aims to improve the general appearance of the building, and it is a periodic work that must be carried out on an ongoing basis to preserve the building.

Restoration: It means any intervention aimed at restoring the efficiency of an act of human activity, and the restoration process aims to restore historical buildings and areas to their original condition when they were constructed.

Reconfiguration: Reassembling parts of a historic building, either in the original place or in a new place, as it is considered a national monument.

Reuse: The process of re-employing buildings of archeological and historical standards in new uses that are appropriate to the current development and at the same time ensuring the continuity of life of those buildings and preserving them in a practical way. This process poses no danger to the archeological origin or any conflict with the values or principles of society.

Renewal: The use of public funds to support an initiative aimed at improving disadvantaged populations or places.

#### **2.5 Contribution of civil society organizations in the city of salt in the protection of urban heritage**

Efforts were organized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Tourism Directorate, As-Salt Reconstruction Corporation, and the greater As-Salt Municipality that resulted in several administrative committees. The first committee was assigned to manage the great museum (downtown Al-Salt) tourism. As-Salt Reconstruction Corporation and the Tourism Directorate are responsible for this committee. Another committee is responsible for organizing the activities of the local community and the services they provide to tourists. This task is carried out by As-Salt Reconstruction Foundation as a civil society institution concerned with community development.

Civil society organizations in As-Salt city are redoubling their efforts to spread awareness of the value of heritage. They are also undertaking educational efforts to form a social base that embraces the idea of caring for heritage and antiquities and caring for them, working to consolidate their value in the minds of different sects and social classes, and to bring about a qualitative shift in people's view of heritage by highlighting its historical value. The Jordanian society for the preservation of heritage prepared the famous traditional and heritage game championship in As-Salt city, which is known as (Mancala).

A number of organizations have organized festivals and heritage events and set up programs and projects that explain the professions and crafts of the pioneers and their handicrafts. They also exhibited the products of various folk arts, races, and local games, such as the annual heritage knights festival, which is held by the Friends of Tourism Association in cooperation with the Balqa Tourism Directorate, the Cultural Book Knights Association, and As-salt Reconstruction Foundation. They also organized tours for visitors from outside the city and received tourists in the city's heritage houses.

The urban heritage was also immortalized by organizing various exhibitions, such as exhibitions of old and rare photographs, which chronicle this heritage and these antiquities according to the years they were taken. These are also compared with the present reality, to realize the extent of the changes and transformations that have occurred in the region, the repercussions, effects, and consequences of the modernization movement, urban and industrial growth on the heritage, and environment of this region. This is what the Fine Arts Association in the city does on an ongoing and regular basis as it annually attracts fine artists from the Arab region to hold an art exhibition in As-Salt city. The continuous emphasis through seminars, workshops, and meetings indicates that the issue of protecting heritage and the environment is not an intellectual luxury, but rather a national duty that must be fulfilled for developing the citizen and improving his standard of living, ensuring stability and a decent life. Annually, the Fawasil Foundation for Civil Society Development, in cooperation with As-Salt Reconstruction Foundation, holds As-Salt Spring Cultural Festival. The capacityraising program for workers in the tourism sector was also carried out in cooperation between As-Salt Reconstruction Corporation and the Vocational Training Corporation. Al-Khader Street Association for Culture and Thought and As-Salt Cultural Forum are holding ongoing workshops and seminars related to preserving heritage in As-Salt city.

*The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

#### **2.6 Challenges facing civil society organizations in As-salt toward protecting the urban heritage**

The most important challenges facing the Jordanian antiquities in general, and in the As-Salt in particular, are urban expansion, heavy machinery, and the establishment of random housing plans. In addition, the reactions of some toward the antiquities, because they were prevented from building or maintaining their homes located in the sites of the archaeological areas form also substantial challenges. Also, one of the most important challenges is the lack of clear data and an information base that provides civil society organizations operating in the city with the necessary data about the number of visitors, the places of their tours, and the duration of their stay in the city. In addition, civil society organizations are not involved in the development and restoration of heritage houses, a task that is only borne by government institutions.

The reuse and employment of archeological sites and historical buildings compatible with development and tourism projects in the city are carried out by individuals or organizations from outside the city that have obtained financial support from international donors or through government institutions. Most of the financial support operations related to this field go to organizations from outside the city, and it does not require that the organization be from within the city and operate in the city. This wastes job opportunities, investment, and financial return for civil society organizations operating in the city.

Moreover, there are no measures that determine the long-term consequences of projects related to the renewal and protection of urban heritage in the city. The city has no clear idea or plans for keeping it on the list of UNESCO heritage cities. This is a failure on the part of the government agencies responsible for protecting the urban heritage in the city. Organizations working in the city are not directly involved and informed of the most important and latest developments in this matter. More importantly, there is a lack of social awareness among citizens in taking responsibility for civil work, and the severe shortage of volunteers to work with these organizations, whether in tourism projects, or developmental and cultural projects in general.

#### **3. Methodology and procedures**

In this study, the exploratory approach was used as it is the most appropriate for the subject of the study. The data was collected through an unstructured telephone interview, which included open-ended questions to which the respondent answered using his own expressions. Interviews were conducted with the heads of cultural and tourism associations and associations concerned with the renewal of urban heritage in As-Salt city. The number of participants was 12, chosen using the purposive sampling method. The interviews were recorded after obtaining the sample's permission for quality purposes in the interviews, and then these interviews were transcribed into written texts, after which a cross-cutting analysis was conducted for all the interviews together by extracting the main ideas to cover the main axes of the interview. Then, the general themes were adopted after reviewing the studies related to the subject of the study. The themes were as follows:


#### **3.1 The validity of the tool**

The mechanisms of validity in qualitative research differ from quantitative research, and this is determined by the subject and problem of the study. McMillan and Schumacher [18] indicate that reliability in qualitative research can be expressed in the compatibility of meanings of interpretations and concepts between the researcher and the participants, that is, the degree of proficiency of the researcher and the participants in describing the goals, their components, and their meanings. The validity refers to the level or accuracy of measuring and correctly recording observations as intended to be measured. The researcher relied on estimating the accuracy of the responses obtained during the interviews to ensure the validity of the data provided by the participants.

#### *3.1.1 Stability of interviews*

To ensure the stability of the interviews, two interviews were selected and presented to the heads of cultural and tourism associations and clubs who were interviewed, and they agreed with what was stated in the text of the written interview.

#### **4. Results and discussions**

From the foregoing, it is evident that civil society organizations can make a real contribution to development if they are able to build developmental awareness and employ it through positive participation in the development process. In addition, there are many civil society organizations in As-Salt that are doing their best to promote a culture of voluntary work in the community, such as working in the fields of training for the protection of antiquities. They also contribute to the revival of the cultural heritage, communicate and participate with local and international organizations in this regard. The following conclusions can be drawn and a number of proposals and recommendations can be made, as follows:

#### **4.1 Findings**

Despite the great desire on the part of civil society organizations operating in As- Salt and related to their work in the cultural and tourism field to continue voluntary work, the work done does not reflect the actual role that civil society organizations must play in supporting and protecting the urban heritage when compared to some developed world countries. This is due to several reasons, including, for example, the recent establishment of these organizations, the idea of volunteering in the life of Jordanian society, lack of field experience, and the less concern culture regarding the importance of nongovernmental organizations. Hence, there is an absence of major organizations that assume a fundamental role in a specific field, similar to other effective organizations in the world.

#### *The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

Inadequate financial aid generates difficulties for civil society organizations, especially those that suffer from poor funding, to carry out operations related to the protection of urban heritage and the reuse of heritage buildings. Weak societal culture toward volunteer work and the work of civil society organizations, leading to a shortage of volunteers and reducing popular participation in private civil work in the field of urban heritage protection. There is a lack of government support and cooperation between the official authorities responsible for protecting urban heritage and the civil society organizations operating in As-Salt city.

Based on the results, it is, therefore, imperative to establish a coordination between civil society organizations and official institutions on issues of preserving urban heritage, with a single and comprehensive control and vision to ensure the unification of efforts through dialogue, coordination, and cooperation, and the exchange of views and information in everything related to programs of maintenance, restoration, and preservation of historical sites. It is also important to raise archeological awareness to the extent required to involve the citizen in protecting antiquities by activating popular oversight. Archeological awareness prepares the individual and creates the climate for protecting the urban heritage. It is one of the important measures in the civilization of nations. By the absence of this awareness, the urban heritage can be wasted.

There is a need to establish a database with the necessary statistics along with developing an implementation plan for media programs to educate community members on the importance of civil work. In addition, the results suggest the need for initiating communication and participation between local and international organizations related to the protection of urban heritage and finding ways of effective partnership among them. Attracting experts to support the activities and programs of the organization for the benefit of As-Salt city is also significant. They would be able to provide advice and technical support and work on developing tourism projects aimed at preserving urban heritage, such as digitizing heritage buildings within electronic applications based on virtual and augmented reality.

#### **5. Conclusion**

In this book chapter, the aim was to identify the role of civil society organizations in protecting the urban heritage in As-Salt city in Jordan. The results reveal that the work done by concerned organizations does not reflect the actual role that civil society organizations must play in supporting and protecting the urban heritage when compared to some developed world countries. There is a lack of awareness of the importance of nongovernmental organizations. The perception of volunteer work is still not fully developed, leading to a shortage of volunteers and reducing popular participation in private civil work in the field of urban heritage protection. More importantly, there is a lack of government support and cooperation between the official authorities responsible for protecting urban heritage and the civil society organizations operating in As-Salt city.

#### **Author details**

Shatha Sakher1 and Kabila Hmood<sup>2</sup> \*

1 Al-Balqa Applied University, As-Salt, Jordan

2 Faculty of Architecture and Design, Department of Architecture, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

\*Address all correspondence to: khmood85@gmail.com; kabila.f@zuj.edu.jo

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Protecting the Urban Heritage in As-Salt City – Jordan DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112879*

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[6] Canadian Heritage. Cultural-Heritage Tourism: Review of Existing Market Research. 2008. Available from: http:// www.pch.gc.ca/pcch/pubs/tourism/ documents/2006-05/4\_e.cfm [Accessed: January 21, 2008]

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university violence. Studies, Educational Sciences. 2019;**46**(1):377-397

[8] Malawi A. The importance of civil society organizations in development. Damascus University Journal of Economic Sciences. 2008;**24**:255-275

[9] Al-Jaribee M. Civil Society and the Jordanian State, Transitioning from the Scepticism Square to the Participation and Trust Square. Jordan: Al-Thuraya Center for Publishing and Distribution; 2014

[10] Speke A. Arab international efforts in the field of developing the contribution of civil society organizations in the issue of comprehensive security. In: Scientific Forum, Civil Society Organizations and their Role in Fortifying Comprehensive Arab Security. Riyadh: Prince Nayef Arab University for Security Sciences; 2011

[11] Dweik A. Civil society organizations and their relevance to issues of comprehensive security: Human rights and the promotion of intellectual security. In: Scientific Forum, Civil Society Organizations and their Role in Fortifying Comprehensive Arab Security. Vol. 28. Riyadh: Prince Nayef Arab University for Security Sciences; 2011. pp. 30-37

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#### **Chapter 2**

## Constructing New City Downtowns: A Solution for Preserving the Historical Urban Heritage

*Mohammadreza Hajialikhani*

#### **Abstract**

Historic city centers usually include historic buildings and sites. As the size and the population of the cities increase, the price of land and real estates in the cities and, respectively, in the downtowns increases. This results in more demand for commercial buildings in city downtowns. In cities with historical and heritage urban areas, the mentioned demand may result in the demolition of heritage historical urban to be substituted by new modern buildings. A solution to this problem is constructing new city downtowns in unused, secluded, or abandoned lands or areas as regeneration megaprojects, which has been implemented in many cities worldwide during the last three centuries. But this solution also faces different challenges and needs specific arrangements. By reviewing lessons learned from some of the worldwide urban regeneration projects, this paper discusses the proposed arrangements to increase the chance of success in the mentioned megaprojects and summarizes them in three main categories as, proper planning and execution, proper institutional arrangements, and public-private cooperation.

**Keywords:** cultural heritage, urban heritage, city downtown, heritage management, urban regeneration, preservation

#### **1. Introduction**

During the human civilization, most cities are historic small cities that grow up due to the increase in population and economic opportunities. Ancient cities like Rome, Paris, London, Athens, Beijing, New Delhi, Mumbai, Tehran, Isfahan, Istanbul, Cairo, New York, and many other cities are example of large cities (Metropolises) that have gradually become larger and more populated during centuries and even millenniums. Large cities are attractive for people due to their facilities and opportunities for occupation, studying, living, entertainment, etc.

In 2020, more than 30% of the global population live in metropolises with 300 thousand inhabitants. In 2020, nearly 85 metropolises inhabit by more than 5 million population [1]. Rising population and uncontrolled urban land consumption rates

have been responsible for the rise of bigger and denser cities and metropolises [1]. Large cities are becoming the major pattern of global human settlements and are the main engine of economic development, which attract people for jobs, creates the highest values, and are the main support for the globalization process [2].

#### **2. Historic urban heritage**

The historic urban landscape is the urban area of a historic layering of cultural and natural values, extending beyond the notion of 'historic center' or 'ensemble' to include the broader urban context and its geographical setting [3]. As the size and the population of the cities increase, the economic value and the price of land and real estate in the cities and, respectively, in the downtowns increase. This results in the more demand for commercial space and, therefore, more demand for high-rise buildings in city downtowns, which are usually historic urban in metropolises.

The historical centers are most likely the undesirable consequence of growth and rapid technological advancement, with a range of environmental and developmental challenges [4]. The rehabilitation and conservation of historic city centers are major sources of change. Furthermore, urban regeneration of historical city centers also promotes social interaction between inhabitants of the city, and the adoption of its urban spaces encourages public activity [4].

In cities with historical heritage urban areas, city managers have different choices for managing rapid growth, whether to protect their urban heritage or let new development take its place [5]. But the mentioned demand sometimes results in demolition of heritage historical urban to be substituted by newly built modern buildings.

#### **3. Construction of new city downtowns, a historic review**

Instead of demolition of historic centers of cities, what would be the other choice to respond to the increasing demand for commercial and residential buildings? Every city has many underused and underutilized land or decaying urban areas that weaken the city's landscape, livability, and productivity [5]. Construction of new city downtowns rooted in historical planning efforts, examples of which are presented below:

#### **3.1 Isfahan, Iran**

In the seventeenth century, the capital of Iran was relocated from Qazvin to Isfahan during the Safavids dynasty. Isfahan used to be the capital of Iran till the tenth century A.D., Therefore, it was a major developed city. But after five centuries, it needed considerable construction to adopt the new government buildings and urban planning to be the capital again. The traditional method was to demolish the old urban and reconstruct new urban buildings. But Iranian engineers and government decided to avoid demolishing and construct a new city center with a newly planned complex consisting of the main square, the King's palace, Mosques (religious center), and the Bazar (economic center). The complex is named Naghsh-e Jahan square (newly known as Meidan Emam). The new complex was planned to be located in the wastelands surrounding the city but connected to the old urban of the city by the Bazar (**Figure 1**).

The city planners at that period decided to construct a new city complex nearby the old one in remote areas and connected it through a long Bazar (city market) that *Constructing New City Downtowns: A Solution for Preserving the Historical Urban Heritage DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110282*

**Figure 1.** *The seventeenth century Isfahan city center vs. the tenth century one.*

was constructed from the old urban to the new urban. This helped the government to avoid the cost of demolitions and relocation of people. Since the new complex was beside the city, logistics (transportation of manpower and material) was cheaper. Also, there was not any constraint for new construction. Therefore, a very nice architectural complex was constructed to be the 1st historic monument of Iran, which was registered in the world heritages Convention of UNESCO (**Figure 2**). The project was a megaproject for the period and was funded by the government at that time.

#### **3.2 Istanbul, Turkey**

Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire) from 330 to 1204 A.D. It was also the capital of Latin Empire (1204–1261), again the capital of Byzantine Empire (1261–1453), and then the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). Following the Turkish War of Independence, the Turkish capital then moved to Ankara. It is officially renamed Istanbul in 1930, and the city is today the largest city and financial center of the Republic of Turkey (1923– present). Therefore, the grand Bazar (main market) has been the financial center of the city for centuries. In the twentieth century, modern construction has been implemented and the economic and financial urban were constructed in new areas in Istanbul, such as Levent, Maslak, and Şişli financial districts, which are the home to the headquarters of Turkey's largest companies and banks and financial sector. Therefore, the grand Bazar was renovated and nowadays is just a tourist attraction in Istanbul. In fact, in its new role as a tourist attraction, it is one of the most attractions with more than 90 million visitors per year (**Figure 3**). This method is continued and the Istanbul Finance Center, the latest Turkey's new economic hub, is under construction and opened partially in 2022 and is planned to construct 300.000 m<sup>2</sup> of modern buildings (**Figure 4**).

In fact, the construction of new economic and financial centers in Istanbul saved the grand Bazar and the surrounding historic urban from demolition and reconstruction.

#### **Figure 2.** *The seventeenth century Isfahan city center (Naghsh-e-Jahan Square complex).*

**Figure 3.** *Istanbul Grand Bazaar in historical urban.*

*Constructing New City Downtowns: A Solution for Preserving the Historical Urban Heritage DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110282*

**Figure 4.** *Istanbul financial center.*

#### **3.3 Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina**

Puerto Madero Waterfront is a neighborhood of Buenos Aires (Argentina), placed in the central business district, on the Río de la Plata riverbank, and represents the latest architectural trends. The city of Buenos Aires always had a problem accommodating large cargo ships, because the shallow river did not allow for direct docking. In the late nineteenth century, the national government contracted local businessman to take charge of the construction of a new port to solve these problems. It was a costly project and an engineering landmark at the time. But 10 years after its completion, the appearance of larger cargo ships made Puerto Madero obsolete (**Figure 5**).

In the 1990s, local and foreign investment led to a massive regeneration, recycling, and refurbishing of the west side warehouses into elegant houses, offices, universities, luxurious hotels, and restaurants for this new district in a city that grew up turning its back to the river. Luxurious hotels, state-of-the-art multiplex cinemas, theaters, cultural centers, and office and corporate buildings are located mostly on the east side (**Figure 6**). By 2010, a total of 2.25 million m2 of space had been built in Puerto Madero. Public and private investment till 2009 was USD 1.7 billion and was estimated to reach USD 2.5 billion upon project completion [6].

#### **3.4 Melbourne Docklands, Australia**

Melbourne Docklands was a swamp land that became a bustling dock area in the 1880s, as part of the Port of Melbourne (**Figure 7**). It had an extensive network of wharfs, heavy rail infrastructure, and light industries. By increase in container shipping traffic, Docklands was virtually abandoned by the 1990s. The construction of Docklands Stadium in the late 1990s attracted interested developers, and urban renewal began in 2000 with several independent privately developed areas. Docklands subsequently experienced an apartment boom and became a sought-after business address (**Figure 8**). The suburb is known for landmarks and is also home

**Figure 5.** *Buenos Aires Harbors.*

**Figure 6.** *Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires.*

to a number of heritage buildings, retained for adaptive reuse. Docklands is one of Australia's largest urban renewal projects, reconnecting central Melbourne with its historic waterfront. Docklands comprise a number of precincts, each with a diverse *Constructing New City Downtowns: A Solution for Preserving the Historical Urban Heritage DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110282*

**Figure 7.** *Melbourne Docklands in 1997.*

**Figure 8.** *Melbourne Docklands (Today).*

variety of residential, commercial, retail, and leisure spaces. It is a 15 billion USD project including more than 1 million m2 of commercial office space completed, or under construction, and includes 17,000 residences, of which, more than 60% are completed [7].

The size of the Melbourne Docklands project required political influences and the government's support [8].

#### **3.5 Canary Wharf, London**

From 1802 to the late 1980s, Canary Wharf was one of the busiest docks in the world (**Figure 9**). It is an area of London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

In the 1990s, a regeneration project was implemented and, nowadays, it is part of London's central business district, alongside central London. It is one of the main financial centers in the United Kingdom and the world [9], containing many high-rise buildings (**Figure 10**). The area was developed on the site of the former West India Docks, containing around 1,500,000 m2 of office and retail space. It is the home of the world or European headquarters of many major banks, professional services, and media firms.

#### **3.6 Titanic Quarter, Belfast, Ireland**

Belfast's Titanic Quarter is one of Europe's largest urban waterfront regeneration projects. Over 700 USD million has already been invested. Titanic Quarter is home to over

#### **Figure 9.** *Canary Wharf (early twentieth century).*

**Figure 10.** *Canary Wharf (Today).*

**Figure 11.** *Harland and Wolff shipyard (early tweniteth century).*

*Constructing New City Downtowns: A Solution for Preserving the Historical Urban Heritage DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110282*

**Figure 12.** *Titanic quarter (today).*

100 national and international businesses. The 75-ha site is part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, the company that made the famous Titanic ship (**Figures 11** and **12**) [10].

Titanic Quarter is Northern Ireland's most internationally known regeneration opportunity. Titanic Quarter has a proven track record, having already attracted more than 700 million USD of investment for the construction of some 170.000 m2 of mixed-use development during the last decade and has a plan for a further 400.000 m2 of development.

#### **4. Discussion**

Urban population is increasing all over the world and the demand for more residential and commercial buildings, shops, and malls is increasing yearly. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, demolition and reconstruction of old heritage buildings in city downtowns happened, mainly in developing countries.

But every city usually has unused, secluded, or abandoned lands or areas that may be regenerated to provide extra residential and commercial areas to afford the demand increase due to economic development and population increase.

Samples of these projects were mentioned and many others are constructed or under construction all over the world, such as Ahmedabad (India), Johannesburg (South Africa), Santiago (Chile), Seoul (South Korea), Shanghai (China), Singapore, and Washington DC (United States) [6], etc.

#### **4.1 Required arrangements**

In order to be sure about the success of preservation of urban heritage, the city managers shall assure the success of the new urban regeneration project that is planned to be constructed as the new city center (downtown). Success means that public and private sectors shall be attracted to the new regenerated project, so that the heritage urban be preserved without extra business load and even reduce its business load to just tourist attractions (similar to Istanbul Grand Bazaar).

But all of the above regeneration projects are large-scale megaprojects with construction areas from 200 thousand to more than two million m2 . Therefore, they may face different challenges that make them specific from normal projects and require specific arrangements to overcome the challenges. Major arrangement may be as below (the categorization is extracted and mentioned in the next section "lessons learned"):

**Proper planning and execution:** The project technical and project implementation plan shall be properly designed and also properly executed to minimize delays and over-budget. This is in fact the easiest challenge of megaprojects and is often technical and there are a lot of solutions for it.

**Proper institutional arrangements:** These megaprojects are often multi-organizational with diverse public and private sectors whose interactions shape the project path [11]. They face institutional challenges that differentiate them from normal projects [12]. Institutional challenges are challenges due to cultural, political, social, regulative, or normative issues that affect the projects. Historically, the main challenges of constructing infrastructure projects were primarily technical and financial in nature. However, today, one of the greatest challenges of such projects are social and/or political issues [13]. These challenges require proper institutional arrangements to be overcome. Institutional factors have different impacts on megaprojects and their performance. Some of these impacts are direct, such as impact on performance, success, governance, cost, etc. A considerable number of these impacts are studied as indirect factors that affect the performance of megaprojects, such as the impacts affecting the society and surrounding community, project management, creating institutional conflict and challenges between project actors and other stakeholders, lack of institutional knowledge, form of contracts, or the impact on cooperation of partners that consequently impact final megaproject performance [14]. Literature review and also empirical findings emphasized the significance of political factors and their impact on megaprojects. In fact, political elements are due to political behavior or interests of individuals or political parties and impact the megaprojects [15].

**Public-private cooperation:** There are very few urban regeneration projects that are implemented only by the public sector because they need a lot of financial resources. Very few cities have the resources to finance all of the costs of such large projects. The partnership with the private sector is necessary to share the costs, risks, and technical capacities. Therefore, cities use a combination of internal and external funding sources, policy and regulatory tools, and strategic partnerships with the private sector [6]. These large-scale megaprojects surely cannot be funded only by government or private sector but need both types of investments. Even for rich governments, the authorities shall be sure that there are enough customers for the project. Therefore, participation of the private sector is very important for the success of regeneration projects of underutilizing urban lands [6]. The main reasons for the necessity of joint investment of public and private funds may be mentioned as:


#### **4.2 Lessons learned**

The World Bank has a study on some urban regeneration projects in Ahmedabad, Johannesburg, Santiago, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Washington DC and presented some lessons learned from these projects that may be summarized below [6], which emphasizes the challenges and arrangements mentioned above and may be useful for future projects (some of the below lessons learned may fall in more than one category, but it is categorized as per the author's idea):

#### *4.2.1 Planning and execution*

**Proper vision:** Complex regeneration projects are rooted in a powerful, wellthought-out, historically rooted, contextual, long-term, and inspiring vision for the city and the areas that will be the focus of regeneration.

**Think long term** because urban redevelopment requires forward thinking and planning and is initiated in tandem with formulating a comprehensive master plan.

**Consistency in local government ideas and priorities** for the project is important, especially in longer-term redevelopment efforts.

**Redevelopment of a special area within a larger area** as a whole can be helpful in balancing the long-term costs and benefits.

**Plan ahead for how best to create an organizational strategy**, to give the best chance for success in the long term. There is not one answer or way to do this, and this can change over time.

**Simple development instruments** within the existing zoning are important and only modify what was strictly necessary to facilitate project implementation and minimize confrontation with other affected interests.

**Flexible zoning** allows for mixed-use developments (residential, retail offices, recreational, and commercial uses) and creates an active pedestrian area.

**Commitment and technical capability** by all parties are crucial.

**An implementation organization** should be properly defined to be capable of the megaproject.

**Short-term action plans**, along with a long-term vision, need to be developed to ensure success.

**Create urgency** to act and to create momentum, otherwise, the project risks being perceived as "yet another plan."

**Phase the project in order to manage the expectations** of the public that want to see change "overnight". It is important not to succumb to the pressure of overpromising results that cannot be achieved.

**Overcome intimidating barriers to success,** despite challenges that appear overwhelming and discouraging.

**Fast implementation,** due to proper funding arrangements, empowers project sponsors to execute the project without extensive political interference.

**Ongoing implementation of the plan** (despite unfavorable/unforeseen circumstances) may reassure developers and investors of their expectations.

**Seizing opportunities** to identify anchors and catalytic actions, send a strong message that the project is "for real." It is important to demonstrate real commitments to the vision as early as possible and to be opportunistic and aggressive in securing commitments.

#### *4.2.2 Institutional arrangements*

**Holistic approach to collaboration and renovation by all stakeholders** shall be concerned to achieve the goal of repopulating and revitalizing the city.

**Addressing social justice measures to overcome extreme poverty**: The resettlement of poor urban residents to the periphery may be a source of violence.

**Political leadership** matters, so the project shall be planned and presented properly to the public and different parties to attract all political parties' consensus.

**A flexible approach to negotiating with investors** allows for the adjustment to contractual terms, negotiation of extensions, and alterations in land use when market conditions rendered project financial feasibility difficult.

**Strong, diverse, and vocal board of directors** encompasses diverse technical and professional capacities contributed to the success of the project.

**Portraying the project as a civic improvement project** rather than a partisan political project with the presence of the opposition party on the board, help the project to be viewed as a party project and do not lose support with changes in political climate.

**Maintaining proactive municipal leadership** and institutional and political stability are very important when creating major change.

**An experienced and capable city resource team** with strong civic-minded leadership from the private sector would help and support the development of the city.

**A key, flagship project** should lead urban regeneration efforts.

**Adjust incentives and regulations for private developers** to respond to changes in market dynamics, such as attracting private investors and low- and middle-income household buyers.

**Continuous community participation and engagement** for city regeneration processes shall be done during the design phase and project implementation.

**Taking external managerial support** along with other technical and professional inputs in the very early stages of the project may help the success of the project. Early stages of the project can be highly challenging because there is little tangible evidence of progress and it is not always feasible to expect an internal managerial team to rally behind a project whose future is uncertain.

**Consensus of public officials and other stakeholders** may be achieved by an initial draft master plan or urban design framework.

**Cultural heritage should be considered an asset** and a form of capital that can enhance the identity of a place, generating and even raising property values.

**Leading with vision and pragmatism** has an important impact on planning and implementation. One important aspect of leadership is having the political will to push through policies or projects that are considered unpopular or politically difficult (if leaders are convinced that such policies or projects have long-term benefits for the city).

**Understanding market position, land ownership, and existing conditions** of the proposed regeneration area are important in order to assess the scale and scope of the challenge, the barriers that will need to be overcome, and the opportunities that can be created.

**Integrated framework and approach** in order to recognize the inter-dependencies.

**Leverage public and private resources** in the most effective manner.

**Tenacity and focus**, as a primary emphasis of the vision for the city, sent a powerful message that the regeneration project is a foundation for the city.

*Constructing New City Downtowns: A Solution for Preserving the Historical Urban Heritage DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110282*

#### *4.2.3 Public-private cooperation*

**Create institutional arrangements to support public and private cooperation**, such as establishing a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) with real estate developers.

**Creating institutional arrangements for absorbing private funds** is an important factor in the success of the project. The lack of public financing gave credibility to the corporation with the private sector, and reduce continuous scrutiny and reporting.

**Working with markets** and a clear, transparent framework for the development in the form of land sale conditions and tender process is an important tool to assure success of the project. The private sector may propose creative forms for providing financial capital.

#### **5. Conclusions**

A large number of global population live in metropolises, urban population is increasing all over the world, and the demand for more residential and commercial spaces is increasing yearly. This results in the increase of the economic value and the price of land and real estate in the cities and, respectively, in the downtowns.

The historical centers often were the first choices to be demolished and substituted by modern urban reconstruction. In past, demolition and reconstruction of old heritage buildings in city downtowns was the main source of responding to the growing demand. But every city usually has unused, secluded, or abandoned lands to be used for urban regeneration to provide extra residential and commercial areas to afford the demand increase.

Examples of these new city downtown projects were addressed, which have 200 thousand to more than 2 million square meters of building construction, that are actually megaprojects. These megaprojects cannot be implemented solely by government, public sector, or private sector, but their mutual cooperation is a necessity for the success of these projects. Therefore, in order to save the heritage urban of the cities, the city planners should plan regeneration projects in unused or wastelands of the cities to transform the commercial values and attractions of the heritage urban to the new regenerated project. They shall also be aware of main challenges of this type of regeneration megaprojects, which are mainly institutional and public-private cooperation challenges.

#### **Conflict of interest**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

#### **Author details**

Mohammadreza Hajialikhani Danial Petro Construction Co., Tehran, Iran

\*Address all correspondence to: hajialikhani\_mr@yahoo.com

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*Constructing New City Downtowns: A Solution for Preserving the Historical Urban Heritage DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110282*

#### **References**

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[2] Huybrechts E. Built Heritage. The Historic Urban Landscape and the Metropolis. 2018;**4**:20-30

[3] UNESCO. Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape [Internet]. 2011. Available from: https:// www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/ recommendation-historic-urbanlandscape-including-glossary-definitions [Accessed: 2022-11-20]

[4] Elnokaly A, Elseragy A. Sustainable urban regenertion of historic city centres - lessons learnt. European Journal of Sustainable Development. 2013;**2**: 31-54 ISSN: 2239-5938

[5] Rojas E. Sustainable conservation of urban heritage: The contribution of governance-focused studies. In: The Oxford Handbook of Public Heritage Theory and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2018. DOI: 10.1093/oxfo rdhb/9780190676315.001.0001

[6] The World Bank. [Internet]. Available from: https://urban-regeneration. worldbank.org. [Accessed: 2022-11-21]

[7] Development Victoria. [Internet]. Available from: https://www. development.vic.gov.au/projects/ docklands?page=overview. [Accessed: 2022-11-23]

[8] Dovey K. Fluid City: Transforming Melbourne's Waterfront. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press; 2005 [9] Greater London Authority. Jan 2008. The Queen's Walk, London: Greater London Authority; Available from: www. london.gov.uk. ISBN: 978-18-47811-09-7

[10] Titanic quarter. [Internet]. Available from: https://titanicquarter.com/ [Accessed: 2022-11-23]

[11] Hetemi E, Jerbrant A, Mere JO. Exploring the emergence of lock-in in large-scale projects: A process view, International Journal of Project Management. 2020;**38**:47-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijproman.2019.10.001

[12] Biesenthal C, Clegg S, Mahalingam A, Sankaran S. Applying institutional theories to managing megaprojects. International Journal of Project Management. 2018;**36**:43-54. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.06.006

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#### **Chapter 3**

## The Public Urban Spaces Renewal and Architectural Heritage Revitalization: A Lasting Interconnection

*Ilda Koca Baltic*

#### **Abstract**

In the twenty-first century, many cities are undergoing radical urban transformations. This transformation includes the continued development of existing public spaces, but also the architectural heritage revitalization. To preserve and improve the architectural heritage, it is not enough to think only about the structure of the building, but also about the surrounding. Otherwise, the future of urban renewal involves understanding both of urban spaces and architectural context. Reframing the importance of interconnection between historical buildings and urban area improves economical, energy, and social sustainability. This chapter will consider innovative ways of understanding the connection between public spaces renewal and architectural heritage revitalization, in order to represent the creation of modern urban centers and community meeting places. Some of the successful examples that have contributed to the process of urban regeneration will be presented.

**Keywords:** public spaces, urban renewal, historical buildings, architectural revitalization, green revitalization

#### **1. Introduction**

Along with modernization and globalization, new challenges are facing the preservation of architectural heritage. The arrival of new technologies has expanded and increased the speed of distribution cultural elements. Schaefer (2002) sees culture as the "the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects and behavior. It includes the ideas, value, customs and artefacts of a group of people" [1]. Cultural heritage includes also buildings and historic places which are considered worthy of preservation. An architectural heritage can be interpreted as an "artifact," where its elements are witnesses of the cultures, actors, and of events occurred during the life of the building [2]. Many studies have dealt with the importance of revitalization of cultural and architectural heritage. Most of them were related to the revitalization of historic buildings that will contribute to the quality of historical places and urban renewal. The main strategies focus on demolishing old buildings, constructing

new ones, mainly improving the quality of buildings [3], infilling construction in open areas [4], renewing deteriorating urban areas by assimilating new communities [5].

On the other side, the future of urban renewal involves understanding both of urban spaces and architectural context. This is contributed by the fact that "historic urban areas are among the most abundant and diverse manifestations of our common cultural heritage, shaped by generations and constituting a key testimony to humankind's endeavors and aspirations through space and time" [6]. According to Bolici, Gambaro and Giordano [7]: "open spaces in the urban landscapes suffer from deterioration caused by man that leads to two major outcomes: on one side they are abandoned because of newer contemporary needs, on the other hand they tend to be "cannibalized" in the attempt to satisfy our society".

The question is how can revitalization of surrounding environment lead to the creation of a higher-quality public space which contains a sense of place and local identity? What parameters are important in implementing an urban and architectural renewal strategy? The aim of this study is to understand which urban renewal planning strategy for a site produces a better quality and performance of the architectural heritage. The study focuses on the physical-spatial aspect of the open space related to the architectural heritage. The objective is to define a new urban narrative capable of reinterpreting the importance of interconnection between historic buildings and the public urban spaces revitalization.

#### **2. Interconnection between the urban spaces renewal and architectural heritage revitalization- improving the shared space**

All through history, the primary function of public space is to connect people and to promote community. Paaver and Küvetm [8] see good public space as a help to strengthen communities, promote citizen participation, reduce segregation, and encourage tolerance**.** According to Reeves, "it is the locations where citizens assemble, express themselves, celebrate victories, exchange ideas, protest, interact with new people, stage festivals, and take part in the informal economy. It is a spot where people know their fundamental rights are protected and where each person is treated as an equal and equally valued by the community" [9]. The UN-Habitat programme dealing with the future of cities and sustainable human settlements defines public spaces as all places accessible and enjoyable by all for free and without a profit motive [10]. Along with the process of urbanization, unmanaged changes in urban areas, which can threaten the integrity and the sense of place, can be observed.

Public spaces in the surroundings of historical buildings have a special role. To preserve and improve the architectural heritage, it is not enough to think only about the structure of the building, but also about the surrounding. According to Mehanna [11], Wang, and Yang [12], historical urban areas are associated with cultural heritage and historical buildings; thus, the renewal of buildings in these areas is prioritized. Such areas retain their original urban structure and unique building characteristics and contain land used for residential economic, and cultural activities. Therefore, the environment of historic buildings should inspire people to make social interactions, but also to share historical values to the community. The value of historical environment should be in connecting the sense of the present with the past. Public places are also of great importance for understanding changes that follow the future. They are not only helping in activating the community, but also in promoting the importance of historical architecture. According to UNESCO [6]:

*The Public Urban Spaces Renewal and Architectural Heritage Revitalization: A Lasting… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109976*

*"Public spaces as a historic urban environment, and as a wider context includes notably the site's topography, geomorphology, hydrology and natural features, its built environment, both historic and contemporary, its infrastructures above and below ground, its open spaces and gardens, its land use patterns and spatial organization, perceptions and visual relationships, as well as all other elements of the urban structure. It also includes social and cultural practices and values, economic processes and the intangible dimensions of heritage as related to diversity and identity."*

To enhance the role of public spaces in historic urban landscape we need a systemic approach which consists of new strategies. Some of them are including synergistic approaches that suggest "identifying, conserving and managing historic areas within their broader urban contexts, by considering the interrelationships of their physical forms, their spatial organization and connection, their natural features and settings, and their social, cultural and economic values" [6]. On the other side, Paaver and Küvetm [8] see the maintaining and developing public space as a task for the public sector and requires creativity, professionalism, and cooperation. The major difficulty for authorities is to create and sustain public places that are promoting cultural value of architectural heritage.

Urban renewal notably emphasizes heritage conservation and renaissance [13] rather than simply demolishing and reconstructing deteriorated and obsolete buildings to construct a better living environment [14]. Therefore, these buildings should be restored when required to retain the original architectural appearance. According to the Institute of Historic Building Conservation [15] the combination of refurbished old buildings, exciting new ones, good urban design, and high quality spaces has created places where people positively choose to live, work, and spend leisure time.

Good public space enhances the spatial perception of the historic building not as a stand-alone item but an element in the public space network. On the other hand, revitalized historical buildings contribute to the improvement of the entire zone in which they are located. The architectural heritage can activate unsafe and forgotten public spaces. It is commonly agreed that heritage conservation can bring many social benefits which enhance a sense of identity and local character and bring economic benefits to the community [14]. Therefore, it is important to think about improving historical places in two directions. According to Tur, Delgado, Cortizo [16], the future involves an architecture that acts together the public space that can produce reactions that diminish the environmental impact and promote urban revitalization.

The need to integrate urban and architectural heritage revitalization strategies leads to sustainable development. Lately, the idea of shared space may be advanced to improve the connection with pedestrians in public places space jointly utilized by automobiles along with other vehicles [17]. Urban regeneration processes, when consider architecture, can generate city in the city.

There are many cases of connecting public places and historical buildings. This can be seen in Sechseläuten Square in Zürich, Switzerland and Paris, France- The Louvre Pyramid, where there are unique combinations between old buildings and modern urban renewal (**Figure 1**). In Hong Kong, there have been cases of heritage buildings converted into costly commercial places that generated sizable increases in tourism revenues and created a rise in property prices in the nearby businesses and for land owners in the entire area [18]. In comparison, the three revitalized historic building projects have been completed in different times during the last decade and they have contributed to improvement of the physical conditions of the buildings, ambience of the streets, and the regeneration of the old Wan Chai area [14].

**Figure 1.**

*The view on historic buildings and modern public spaces: Sechseläuten Square in Zürich, Switzerland and Paris, France- the louvre pyramid. a) https://www.publicspace.org/documents/220568/937195/31254 sechselaeuten\_page\_1pdf.pdf/a5977b2b-bf13-4123-06a4-50aed702c954?version=1.0&t=1525207045852 l, 2. b) https://aquatransform.ch/projects/sechselaeutenplatz-opernhaus-zuerich/, c) https://ar.pinterest. com/pin/536209899370524766/, d) https://www.getyourguide.de/paris-l16/paris-louvre-museumtimed-entrance-ticket-t145779/?visitor-id=CU9AEX9Q9NMB0TE9EUEZBCODNWUMD3R1&loc ale\_autoredirect\_optout=true*

#### **3. Considerations of a solution- scenes from many applied revitalization practice**

#### **3.1 Extensions in new urban-architectural outline**

The renovation of historical buildings begins with an analysis of the existing condition. If one part of the building is already demolished, the special consideration is given to the extension of the building. The most often goal is to develop extensions that will be striking and modern in expression. This method can be observed in the intervention at the church of the convent of Sant Francesc, located in the Catalan town of Santpedor, which was converted into a cultural facility (**Figure 2**). This building has been developed with the goal of differentiating the new elements constructed (using contemporary construction systems and languages from the original elements of this historical church). With the aim of preserving all aspects of the building's past, the intervention has not hidden traces, wounds, or scars. Thus, they have remained visible depressions, holes where the altarpieces once were, traces of missing elements [19].

Rather than reconstructing the church, the intervention has just consolidated the old fabric, clearly distinguishing the new elements that are executed of the original ones [19]. The extension ensures the visibility of the entrance, but also emphasizes the small urban space around the building. Urban environment has a simple design. It consists of a bench and a single tree that suggests the loneliness of a culturally enlightened society. Also, its simplicity points us to the importance of an object in which silence and peace prevail.

The dynamic and contrasting connection of the historical building with the modern extension is also observed in the Royal Ontario Museum. This extension was designed by Daniel Libeskind "the best known studio for creating poignant monuments and museums for tragic events" [20] and it was completed in 2007. The impressive structure opens an intensive dialog with the surrounding, rising 37 meters above the ground, and becoming the most important focal point of contemporary architecture in Toronto. The *simple urban* functional furniture surrounds this extension—black benches and a black information panel, which are perfectly combined with the ancient original building (**Figure 3**).

*The Public Urban Spaces Renewal and Architectural Heritage Revitalization: A Lasting… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109976*

#### **Figure 2.**

*The church of the convent of Sant Francesc, the Catalan town of Santpedor a) https://commons.wikimedia. org/wiki/File:Obres\_al\_Convent\_de\_Sant\_Francesc\_de\_Montblanc\_5.JPG, b) https://www.archiscene.net/ education/convent-de-sant-francesc-david-closes-architects/https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convent\_de\_Sant\_ Francesc\_%28Santpedor%29, c) https://www.archdaily.com/251389/convent-de-sant-francesc*

#### **Figure 3.**

*The modern extension of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. a) https://tayloronhistory.com/2015/05/31/historyof-the-royal-ontario-museum-rom/ chin-crystal-15,427,415.html, b) https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/ visualarts/2017/06/26/toronto-still-cant-decide-if-it-likes-the-rom-crystal.html*

Another project of Libeskind also connects the rigidity of modern expression with classical architectural values—the extension at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, completed in 2008. According to Allen [21], a geometric form clad in blue steel juts out of a brick building that used to be a power plant. The steel portion, which contains exhibition, performance, and event spaces, is designed to mimic the Hebrew letters *chet* and *yud*, spelling *l'chaim* or "to life" [21]. In the same way as in the project of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, plain urban furniture, consisting of concrete benches and two street lamps welcome visitors and accentuate the entrance. With the synergy of urban planning and architecture, not only the urban space was revitalized, but also the historical building of the museum. The water surface, which reflects the facade of the historical part of the building, emphasizes its rhythm and the harmony of the openings (**Figure 4**).

#### **3.2 Glazed urban spaces as a part of historical building**

In order to eliminate some of weather issues, many public courtyards have horizontal glazing above. Courtyards become atriums, some of which still retain the esthetics of the urban garden. The use of glass, as a material for urban space, eliminates a visual barrier and allows an abundance of natural light to flood down into the building. This can be observed in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a Venetian-style palazzo, renovated by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Genoa, Italy) in 2004 (**Figure 5**). This project of revitalization adds "70,000 square feet consisting of two new buildings. The first building attaches to the original

**Figure 4.**

*The modern extension in contemporary museum in San Francisco. a) Unknown. b) https://www.architecturaldigest. com/gallery/daniel-libeskind-architecture, c) https://libeskind.com/work/contemporary-jewish-museum/*

museum and takes on the appearance of 4-stories in glass and copper. The second building is smaller in size and uses the area for greenhouses and living quarters" [22]*.*

Not just a new wing, houses gallery space for special exhibitions and other facilities [23] are added, but also the glass skylight, which illuminates the central atrium of the original building. This atrium is seen as an exquisite interior courtyard, and can be described both as an urban public place and as a part of a historical building. According to Artnet, "the Gardner's interior courtyard combines ever-changing horticultural displays with sculpture and architectural elements [24]. The interplay between the courtyard and the museum galleries offers visitors a fresh view from almost every room, inviting connections between art and landscape" [24]. The following testimony of a visitor describes this impressive indoor public space:

*"Although we arrived in the afternoon, we were able to enjoy strolling the courtyard with its exotic and lush tropical plants encased in the four-story, glass-roofed, all-season conservatory. Dusk arrives early in winter in Boston, so the lighting was dim(…)The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has something to impress everyone, from museum antiquities to interior lush landscaping [25]."*

Beside the glass ceiling, glass walls are also frequently used. Improvements in glass processing technology have made it possible to render an effective solution for historical buildings and their esthetics. Glass walls are most commonly constructed with the full height glass panels, in order to bring a real dramatic visual feature to the core purpose of the historical place. This can be observed in a winning entry in a competition of renovating

**Figure 5***.*

*Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the glazed atrium, Boston. a) https://www.asla.org/guide/site. aspx?id=39982, b,c) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella\_Stewart\_Gardner\_Museum*

*The Public Urban Spaces Renewal and Architectural Heritage Revitalization: A Lasting… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109976*

**Figure 6***.*

*Palais du commerce and the glazed atrium, Rennes. https://www.designboom.com/architecture/ mvrdv-palais-du-commerce-extension-rennes-02-12-19/*

and extending the historic "*palais du commerce in Rennes,*" (**Figure 6**) where glass walls are forming the atrium and the connection between new and old building. This design is considered as a tool for revitalization both the building and the surroundings. According to Barandy, "MVRDV's proposal will reactivate the place *de la république* and turn this former public building into a centerpiece of the city's main commercial street, raising it to the level of significance that was initially intended [26]. De vries, founding partner of MVRDV, elaborates: *"not only is palais du commerce a local landmark, but its transformation will turn the place de la république into a popular destination and act as a vital catalyst for its surroundings* [27]." Inside the glass cube is a closed public space enriched with greenery. Also the impressive, almost sculptural stair is added, in order to fulfill the functionality through a upper level. Construction of the project will begin in 2022, with completion expected for 2025.

In some cases, the urban area around historical buildings is glazed with spherical glass walls. Such an example can be seen in 120 meters long and 25 meters high Strasbourg Railway Station glass shell (**Figure 7**). This shell represents 6500 m2 façade area which encloses the historic station building and serves as "the entrance building and as the link between train tracks and trains, trams, buses, taxis as well as the underground" [28]. The glass bubble along the south side of the station is an answer on thermal energy and it functions as a double "skin" of the building. "By carefully designing the building to help pull in more air than would come out naturally from the tunnel (and by adding a couple of simple, low-energy devices like a radiant slab, itself drawing from the water table), it is possible to make the space under this very large south facing glass wall comfortable in summer, almost exclusively through passive means" [29]. Now, the public space which surrounds the station becomes one of

#### **Figure 7.**

*Strasbourg Railway Station glass shell. a) https://www.northernarchitecture.us/performative-architecture/ strasbourg-train-station-extension.html b) https://seele.com/references/strasbourg-railway-station c) Hugh Llewelyn-https://www.flickr.com/photos/58433307@N08/5698669435/*

the urban features of the city. Therefore, the project of revitalization seeks to promote the historical presence of a train station. Also, it tends to link "the various points of access to the various modes of transportation and to provide proper shelter in all possible climates" [29].

#### **3.3 Revitalization through sustainable reuse - activating urban alleys**

Thinking about a broader vision for revitalization and highlighting historic resources, many architects use the opportunity to activate the surrounding alleys. According to the Alley Dwelling Act [30], an alley is "any court, thoroughfare, or passage, private or public, thirty feet or more in width, that does not open directly with a width of at least thirty feet upon a public street that is at least forty feet wide from building line to building line." As alleys have always been perceived as unsafe places, those hidden passageways are often avoided by passengers.

In historical areas, alleys should be recognized as an important point of revitalization of historical buildings. *Especially* when *taking into account that alleys can make* a compatible relationship, but also an appropriate separation between new development and historical buildings. A physical interaction with architectural heritage gives them a placemaking potential. "Most under-used spaces and buildings have both physical and intangible cultural and natural heritage with a high recreational, aesthetic, therapeutic, social, and cultural interaction value" [31]. In some cities, where a lot of downtown areas exist, activating alleys includes accommodating existing functions that are integral to the operations of downtown organization.

As highlight historical assets, alleys are also providing safety and opportunities for people to relax and visit old historical buildings. They are also "providing affordable opportunities for new small businesses and expansion of existing local businesses (e.g., Sydney, Australia small business program for alleys), supporting green corridors (Austin, xxiv Chicago), celebrating visual and performing arts, expanding the pedestrian network and connectivity to other parts of downtown, and enhancing pedestrian experiences through car free, intimately-scaled spaces" [32].

There have not been many studies that represent the importance of alleys in historical areas. However, there are some alleys, for example, Blagden Alley and Naylor Court that are officially recognized for their impact on historical buildings. Similarly, Cady's alley (**Figure 8**) "has been recently renovated, and its formerly under-utilized collection of 19th century stables, warehouses and alley dwellings have been converted into an exclusive shopping district filled with high-end designer show rooms, office spaces, and a restaurant" [32]. In Boston, there is an alley converted into a bookstore, and in Seattle, there is an "open-gallery" alley (**Figure 8**).

In all of these cases, defining strategies for overcoming challenges in revitalization of alleys, their existing conditions along with cultural and historical significance should be precisely verified. According to The City of Austin Downtown Commission, Alley Activation Workgroup (2013) "re-examining the functional vs. cultural landscape of alleys and developing a plan to re-invent one or more of the city's alleyways as a neighborhood amenity on a temporary or permanent basis should also be observed". Activation of alleys can be done through a redesign and improvement of physical place, and also through human activities and social events. This can be observed in the Austin downtown area, where several alleys are recognized as important (**Figure 9**). They are activated with a "variety of art which is designed by Dan Cheetham and Michelle Tarsney as "a temporary aerial sculpture with brightly colored, interwoven twine that was hung across the alleyway, together with

*The Public Urban Spaces Renewal and Architectural Heritage Revitalization: A Lasting… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109976*

#### **Figure 8.**

*Cady's Alley, Georgetown, Washington, bookstore in the alley; Boston, MA, "20' WIDE," collaborative case study in creating temporary activations for downtown alleys. Michael Knox, City of Austin, Economic Development Departmen https://de.foursquare.com/v/cadys-alley/4b6c764bf964a520143c2ce3/photos*

a collection of paper origami peace cranes created by children at the Art" [32]. In this way, the appearance of historical building, recognizable by its old bricks, is preserved.

#### **3.4 Green revitalization**

Historical preservation and renewal plans should have a long-term perspective. Therefore, projects focused on finding new design approaches for heritage revitalization are also developing *green* growth *strategies. According to* Elshater [33] *"*since the mid-eighties of the last century, the international community began to realize the need for a combination of political and scientific efforts to solve environmental problems." At the center of this issue is ecological design strategy, which helps architect toward generating revitalization concepts based on sustainable green thought. Hunts [34], sees using "the right materials and appropriate techniques" as a method by which "our building heritage can be made sustainable".

The value of green areas is demonstrated through their multiple benefits. When applicable to the architectural revitalization and renovation of the building, the green projects can greatly reduce the embodied carbon in the buildings, creating a sustainable model of development for the future. It is well-known that adding green roofs to historical buildings can enhance their energy performance. However, "full greening" refers to full-surface coverage of a facade with climbing plants. While some plants can

#### **Figure 9.**

*The Austin downtown area produced by Michael Knox, City of Austin, economic development department, City of Austin. https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/EGRSO/Activating\_Austins\_Downtown\_Alleys\_ as\_Public\_Spaces.pdf*

#### **Figure 10.**

*Full-surface facade greening with wisteria on climbing supports, town hall Riesa / Saxony, ancient ivy in the nature park on the Ilm river in the Templar hall, Weimar/Thürigen [36]. https://www.fassadengruen.de/en/ classicism-and-building-greening.html*

cover an entire facade without the need of a climbing support/trellis**,** it is also possible to attach grids and trellises to the wall, and to combine several climbing plants to create contrast, what we call "mixed greening." (Fassadengruen.de).

As the intersection between architecture and public space, green areas can improve the walking and cycling experience. Also, it is "hoped that green open space from any urban area development planning, carried out by the respective regional governments, which in turn can have an impact on both the wider community and the surrounding environment, both as a fulfillment of the need for public space as a means of the activity or as a container or means of pollution reduction air" [35].

In addition to heritage revitalization laws and principles, a condition of the structure, load bearing capacity, planning permits, safety, and the climate must be considered. This can be observed in Saxony, where old buildings have been restored with full or part-surface facade greening. Also, an ancient ivy in the nature park on the Ilm river in the Templar hall in Weimar has been green-redesigned in the style of Romanticism. In this way, not only architectural heritage was revitalized, but also the urban environment (**Figure 10**)*.*

#### **4. Conclusion**

Historic revitalization is complex and it is constantly evolving. In recent years, with technological innovation, understanding of the importance of the relationship between urban renewal and the restoration of architectural heritage is being recognized. Generally, this interconnection is represented as a way of promoting the sustainable development of cities. It includes improvement of historical buildings and development of land resource utilization. Therefore, a holistic approach to the revitalization of historic urban areas began to be applied.

Urban renewal strategy that includes architectural revitalization leads to the creation of a higher-quality environment. Urban places with this value can increase social interactions. Many scientific studies show the benefit of having stronger, more active communities. However, there are not many studies that give guidelines on how to redesign the historical environment to achieve this. Hereof, some of the strategies in building a lasting interconnection between public urban places and architectural heritage are represented in this chapter.

#### *The Public Urban Spaces Renewal and Architectural Heritage Revitalization: A Lasting… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109976*

One of the ways to activate a historical place is by renovating the building itself. The special consideration is given to the extension of the building. In order to emphasize the difference between the old and the new part of the building, the most often goal is to develop modern extensions. Many of those urban environment has a simple design, given that simplicity points us to the importance of historical object.

Another way of revitalizing historical areas includes using the right materials. The use of glass, as the most common, eliminates some of weather issues, as well as a visual barrier between the building and environment. It also allows the building to be illuminated by natural light. In those projects of revitalization, the light and shade play an important role, as they become an essential component that gives an architecture a sense of identity. In some cases, with the use of glass, courtyards become atriums. Whether they are formed as a cube or the urban area around historic buildings is glazed with spherical glass walls, many of those atriums can be described both as an urban public place and as a part of a historical building. They are often enriched with greenery. In that manner, atriums get a great quality of an outdoor space.

Thinking about a broader vision for revitalization, many architects activate the surrounding alleys. In that manner, a city's alley should be space dedicated to a singular use—movement. And their primary goal should be the safe and efficient use by pedestrians**.** A spatial-physical interaction with architectural heritage gives alleys a placemaking potential. They provide many opportunities for people to gather and relax. Alleys can be revitalized as green corridors, with a good paving, or as an open gallery that celebrate visual and performing arts. Furthermore, they can expand the pedestrian network and enhance pedestrian experiences and safety in visiting historical buildings.

Historical renewal plans should also have a long-term approach. Therefore, heritage revitalization includes "*green" strategies. It is well-known that* the green projects can greatly reduce the embodied carbon and enhance energy performance of historical buildings. Furthermore, green areas can improve the walking and cycling experience. They can have an impact on the community and the environment, as a public space, and as an area that reduce pollution in air.

Architecture and public space, when cooperate, can multiply urban and architectural vitality effects. Reinterpreting the importance of interconnection between historical buildings and urban area improves economical, energy, and, the most important, social sustainability. It can be used as a social connector, where people can come together for both unique public events and visiting old buildings. Interconnection between public space and public buildings can increase performance and quality of urban areas, as well as senses of neighborliness and belongingness. Finally, making connection between the inner and outer spaces, buildings, and environment can lead into generating city in the city. This process will be increasingly common in an urbanized world, especially in some territories with a long urban history. The desired macro and micro goals may be produced: the improvement of the global social interconnection; cities, where the history and future are combined, and historical buildings as places of heritage, synergies and interconnections.

#### **Author details**

Ilda Koca Baltic Independent Researcher, Niš, Serbia

\*Address all correspondence to: ildakoca@gmail.com

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*The Public Urban Spaces Renewal and Architectural Heritage Revitalization: A Lasting… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109976*

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*The Public Urban Spaces Renewal and Architectural Heritage Revitalization: A Lasting… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109976*

sustainability" Directorate–General for Regional and Urban Polic, B-1049 Brussels. 2021

[32] The City of Austin Downtown Commission- Alley Activation Workgroup. Activating Austin's Downtown Alleys as Public Spaces. 2013. Available from: https://www.austintexas. gov/sites/default/files/files/EGRSO/ Activating\_Austins\_Downtown\_Alleys\_ as\_Public\_Spaces.pdf

[33] Elshater A. Urban design redux: redefining a professional practice of specialization. Ain Shams Engineering Journal. 2015;**6**:25-39

[34] Hunts R. Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability Hardcover. 2013. Available from: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Old-House-Handbook-Energy-Efficiency-Sustainability/dp/0711232784/ref=sr\_1\_ 1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427633951 &sr=1-1&keywords=old+house+eco+ha ndbook

[35] Rezky Noor Handy M. Revitalization of Green Open Space to Fulfill the Needs of Urban Communities. In: 2nd International Conference on Social Sciences Education (IC). 2021. p. 224

[36] Full Wall Greening. 2022. Available from: https://www.fassadengruen.de/en/ full-greening.html

#### **Chapter 4**

## The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management in Bangladesh: The Case Study of Mahasthangarh

*Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan Khan and Mohammad Niamul Huda*

#### **Abstract**

Mahasthangarh in Bogura district, Bangladesh, is a historic fortified city of fourth-century BCE, considered an important reference site for the ancient metropolis of South Asia. The Department of Archaeology (DoA) of the Government of Bangladesh is the only authority responsible for managing cultural heritage. However, sites are facing several threats and challenges and unfortunately, there is no effective management plan developed. Mahasthangarh as a case study, this research aims to demonstrate the roles and potentialities of site museums and local communities in forming sustainable heritage management by using qualitative and quantitative methods and SPSS software. In this study, 250 individual respondents were interviewed from various sectors with formatted questionnaires.

**Keywords:** archeological site museum, local community, threats and challenges, sustainable heritage management, Mahasthangarh, Bangladesh

#### **1. Introduction**

Site museums and local communities play a vital role in achieving sustainable heritage management. It is true that museums are now vigorously working with both tangible and intangible heritage since their collaboration with communities and societies [1]. Recognition of the role of community engagement could make countless contributions to enhancing sustainable heritage safeguarding. The involvement of the community in archeological research and heritage safeguarding has been awareness to heritage managers [2].

Bangladesh is a tropical monsoon climate country of South Asia, and the majority of the heritage sites are located in rural area, where land is being used extensively by the poor local agrarian society. There are about 23 site museums, where the

Department of Archaeology (DoA) of the Government of Bangladesh is the only authority and is responsible for preserving, protecting, interpreting, and managing the cultural heritage. After the first inclusion back in 1999, recently DoA updated the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, where Mahasthangarh was inscribed under the title "Cultural Landscape of Mahasthan and Karatoya River" and included the criteria (i) and (vi) with the previous two criteria (ii) and (iii) [3]. It is a potential heritage site and one of the prominent ancient fortified cities of South Asia that helps to understand the cultural development of ancient civilizations of the Bengal Delta through the successive period. During the invasion of Alexander the Great in 325 BCE, the deltaic Bengal was identified as *Gangaridai* (the people of the Ganges region) to the Greek and Roman world by their own writers who referred to it as a mighty nation of the Indian subcontinent [4].

Like many other heritage sites of the country, Mahasthangarh faces various threats and challenges damaging and declining its outstanding universal value. This research is intended to demonstrate the role and potential of the site museum and community in sustainable safeguarding and managing the tangible and intangible heritage of Mahasthangarh as a case study. The present research has been carried out using qualitative methods, such as personal interviews, group discussions, fieldwork, observation, and assessment of related resources. Data have been gathered from both primary and secondary sources. We hope this research will foster critical discussion, develop and enhance the capacity of the Department of Archaeology (DoA), inspire further research, and advance sustainable heritage management at the national and international level. Mahasthangarh is one of the most potential heritage sites in Bangladesh to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

#### **2. Mahasthangarh**

Mahasthangarh (24°57′09′′N, 89°20′53′′E) is located in the Bogura district on the bank of the Karatoya River in the northwestern part of Bangladesh. The present name Mahasthangarh literally means "*Maha* means Great, *sthan* means Place, *garh* means fort" or *Mahasnan means* "a Great Bathing Place," which first mentions in a Sanskrit text entitled *"Vallalcharita"* and *"Karatoya Mahatmayam"* of circa thirteenth century CE [5, 6]. Mahasthan was known in the pre-Muslim period as Pundranagara/ Pundravardhana-Bhukti and in the Muslim period (thirteenth century), the name changed to Mahasthan/Mahasthangarh [7].

The heritage of Mahasthangarh consists of two distinct features: the fortified citadel and its vast suburbs/hinterlands. The present study area is a fortified citadel that occupies about 400 acres (163 hectares). DoA has acquired only 42 acres (13 hectares) and continues to acquire land from the local communities. The citadel is nearly oblong, surrounded by brick-built massive defensive rampart that is general elevation about 15 feet above the plain ground. The citadel is about 1.5 km (5000 feet) in length from north to south and 1.4 km (4000 feet) in breadth from west to east. It was highly protected on the east by the well-known Karatoya River and on the other three sides by the deep moat with marshland (**Figures 1** and **2**), which are still partially visible (see details-6). Recently, the eastern rampart and a portion of the northern rampart have been conservated by the South Asian Tourism Infrastructure Development Project (SATIDP) (**Figures 2** and **3**).

In the citadel, approximately 5000 people (3400 voters) are living among the 1050 families, all are of Muslims. Most of the people are farmers about 80%, vehicle drivers about 10%, and the rest do different jobs and business-related work. Archeological

*The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109527*

**Figure 1.**

*Map shows the Mahasthangarh citadel (after modifying the Google Earth image) and site settings of its hinterlands.*

findings suggest that most of the area has been occupied since the beginning of the historical period (c. fourth century BCE) to the colonial period (eighteenth century CE). The Franco-Bangla joint venture team (from 1992 and onward) has unearthed 18 cultural sequence levels ranging from the last quarter of the fourth century BCE to eighteenth century CE in their proper stratigraphic contexts [8]. However, at present, the citadel is under cultivation and modern settlements. The Mahasthangarh is a key site for studies of the Bengal deltaic civilization, owing to its extensive archeological and literature evidence [see details in [7, 8]]. It bears unique and exceptional testimony to its city layout, charming landscape, and about 8 km radius hinterlands (**Figures 1** and **2**). The site has huge tourism potential; unfortunately, there is no sustainable and effective tourism plan and policy.

#### **3. Threats and challenges**

The present study discovers some key threats and challenges to implement a sustainable heritage management plan for Mahasthangarh. For ease of discussion, those are grouped as follows.

#### **3.1 Socioeconomic issues**

#### *3.1.1 Over grown population*

Mahasthangarh is located in a rural setting with a high demand for cultivable land as well as residential purposes. As a result, heritage sites are prone to enclosure and destruction by the local inhabitant. Since historical times, this place is a popular

#### **Figure 2.**

*Ground plan of Mahasthangarh rampart and site setting shows the present condition of citadel through the different types of legend.*

marketplace for the surrounding hinterland, and its prosperity growing at a rapid pace, which in turn creates a steady and high demand for land for commercial and other purposes of migrated people. At present, the south rampart is entirely covered with a present settlement. In the southwestern corner of Mahasthangarh citadel

*The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109527*

**Figure 3.** *Renovated rampart (northeastern) of Mahasthangarh citadel.*

beside the *Tamraduvar* (copper gate), a new settlement and infrastructure demolished the potential rampart.

#### *3.1.2 Illiteracy and ignorance*

The present education system at various levels is inadequate to incorporate the students, the common people, and local inhabitants into the heritage safeguard and maintenance issues. The present research noted most of the local inhabitants and visitors, even teachers and students of school-college, do not know the site's informative knowledge as well as the importance of site management (**Figure 4**). Moreover, a deficiency of well-coordinated heritage awareness programs and training should be planned and executed to overcome the deficit and could ensure sustainable heritage management among the stakeholders.

#### *3.1.3 Poverty-related crime*

Bangladesh as a whole still fights poverty and all its negative outcomes of it in society. It is challenging most of the time to enforce law and order in remote areas. Mahasthangarh is no exception and many times, starting from petty crimes to smuggling heritage items is also noticed. Primarily, the shortage of manpower in law enforcement agencies and DoA is a concern but to solve the issue and maintain the safeguard of the heritage site and artifacts, a community-wide patrolling and monitoring program could be a viable solution.

#### *3.1.4 Encroachment and looting of ancient bricks*

In Mahasthangarh, numerous architectural sites are buried and hidden under the surface and most of them are not yet identified and mapped by the DoA. As a result, the local inhabitant and brick hunters frequently commit illogical and unauthorized digs for ancient bricks and sell them. As a consequence, many potential heritage sites are destroyed and damaged beyond repair and sometimes lost forever, even before being noticed by the scholarly world. The Mazar area is encroached on by the

#### **Figure 4.**

*The pie chart shows the result of the question "what do you about Mahasthangarh heritage sites?"*

local people for market and tourist vehicle parking. On the other hand, the south rampart is covered due to encroachment and the southwestern corner of the citadel is encroached by local inhabitants for habitation. Many cultural properties are being gradually squeezed due to encroachment (**Figure 5**).

#### **3.2 Heritage site acquisition and related management issues**

#### *3.2.1 Site ownership and control*

Total Mahasthangarh fort city is a large area covering (1.5×1.4 km approx..) and most of the land is privately owned by local community and DoA acquired only a fraction (about 13 hectares) of citadel area, which has been explored and excavated by the DoA. In this instance, *The Antiquities Act, 1968 (amended in 1976)* should be mentioned, which hindered streamlining the acquisition processes of heritage sites and maintenance. This Antiquities act need to be revised regular basis.

#### *3.2.2 Improper land use*

As stated earlier, only a fraction of land is acquired and protected by DoA presently, there present a misunderstanding and disorganized land use, which resulted in the destruction and demolition of heritage in many occurrences. A short- and longterm land use plan should be prepared with ensuring the presence of all stakeholders could safeguard the heritage site in concern. It observes that, in many instances, DoA leased the acquired land adjacent to the heritage site inside the citadel for generating revenue, where farmers dig deep tube well, drainage, and use tractor regular basis for their farming purpose, which in turn damages the heritage landscapes.

#### *3.2.3 Insufficient management*

The insufficient capacity for a proper heritage management infrastructure of DoA resulted in poor and inadequate heritage management for the heritage site

*The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109527*

#### **Figure 5.**

*The bar chart shows the results of the question "what is your opinion regarding the reason behind damage of the heritage site by local communities?"*

Mahasthangarh. The Global Heritage Fund has identified Mahasthangarh site as one of 12 global sites most "On the Verge" of irreparable loss and demolition, quoting insufficient management and looting as primary reasons [9]. The daily round-like excavation, conservation, preservation, and proper monitoring is insufficient and cannot be done regularly. Based on site requirement, there is lack of an insufficient number of management workmen and a deficiency of skillful and experienced manpower, particularly in the area of conservation and preservation management. Insufficient management policy reduces integrity, authenticity, and future potentiality as a tourism area.

#### *3.2.4 Relationship among stakeholders*

Every project has stakeholders who can influence or be influenced by the project in a positive or negative manner [10]. To ensure a sustainable heritage management plan, all stakeholders must be in sync and aim to achieve a common goal. Proper coordination between all the concerned stakeholders who are playing key roles is not well coordinated presently. Participation of all of them only could ensure the success of achieving the common goal. As a developing country, necessary finance and infrastructure could only be maintained by all the stakeholders combined.

#### **3.3 Heritage awareness program and training issue**

Due to various bureaucratic complicacy and flaws inherited in the administrative structure, the policymaking person or the body is not properly trained and skilled in the necessary steps that are necessary for sustainable heritage management. Besides, the execution of a feasible and viable short- and long-term sustainable master plan depends on so many other variables also that need to be considered. The insufficient training and various skills-enhancing programs could not ensure the proper use of the existing human resources. On the other hand, a multitiered heritage awareness program is not planned for various leveled education institutes and local inhabitants.

#### **3.4 Conservation and preservation issues**

Insufficient archeological and historic testimony causes improper restoration of the different potential ruins. Apart from this, deficiency of appropriate research, insufficient of efficient conservators, and untrained workmen cause improper restoration, which can reduce the integrity and authenticity of the structure. Mankali Kundu Mosque, Porshuram's palace, and Rampart are the examples of improper restoration, where the modern brick used for restoration and conservation is not in a good condition.

#### **3.5 Environmental issues**

#### *3.5.1 Poor drainage*

Mahasthangarh is located on the high Barind track (Pleistocene land formation), which naturally has numerous natural drainage systems. But over time, due to the enormous modern urban expansion pressure/demand, the historical landscape has been changed with unplanned dwellings, canals, ponds, and various purposes. Long-standing waterlogging, high surface erosion, change in the microclimate, and untimed flooding are the few caused by the poor drainage, which deeply impacted the existing heritage sites. Currently, most of the archeological remains both excavated and unexcavated are buried at the citadel and ancient drainage is no longer in function that was originally interconnected to the river and surrounding moats.

#### *3.5.1.1 Overgrowing vegetation*

Microclimate of Mahasthangarh area changed and subsoil water level, moisture content in the air, and even the use of harmful fertilizers and pesticides resulted in the overgrown weed type, different types of grasses, shrubs, moss, undulating, and sycophants roots are common vegetation problems, which cause damage to ancient bricks and diminish the intensity of structure. Apart from these, extensive sun heat, high winds, and earthquakes are one of the major threats to brick-built structures.

#### **4. Role of museum**

Presently, as like all site museums of Bangladesh, the Mahasthangarh site museum is solely under the administration of DoA. Site museums play key activities in heritage site management together with keeping education, research, cultural tourism, and description of museum objects [11]. Museums can cooperate with the heritage site management team by helping to safeguard and conserve the archeological heritage sites and monuments *in situ*, and preserving the records of *ex situ*, as well as promoting the archeological heritage through their displays, exhibition, and other programs [1]. But the site museum of Mahasthangarh is not coping with all of the objectives mentioned above.

The collections of museums can motivate communities, groups, and individuals to manage and preserve their tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In the context of Mahasthangarh, site museums could play a valuable role in the protection and promotion of the cultural heritage of Mahasthangarh through education, national or regional functions, and raising awareness in the society about the value of cultural

#### *The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109527*

heritage and the importance of safeguarding for the sake of present and future generations. It can arrange exhibitions and educational activities, such as gallery walks, seminars symposium, training workshops, and conferences with the collaboration of various institutions, stakeholders as well as local communities on a regular basis. Museums can use intangible heritage to develop a better understanding of their visitors. For these museums, there is a need to identify, document, and represent the intangible aspects of their collections. Social communities can use museums as cultural platforms to educate and communicate with their ancestors, improve the museums as a source of knowledge and education as well as progress the practice of protection and preservation of cultural heritage. There is need to enhance the capability of Mahasthangarh site museum officials, particularly in the area of museum management and cultural heritage management both tangible and intangible, predominantly on the basis of UNESCO and ICOM manuals and publications. It is highly necessary for museums and the local community to come together to reduce conflicts or misunderstandings, to safeguard against various threats as well as promote and preserve cultural heritage.

Mahasthangarh archeological museum is one of the major visitor attractions. It often faces excessive pressure on visitors, which is necessary for adequate management of visitors within the museum and other sites. Therefore, controlling is a key to keeping people at a safe distance.

#### **5. Role of community**

Community engagement has become a significant approach to protection, management, preservation, and improving both tangible and intangible heritages. Most of the archeological landscape in Mahasthangarh area is owned by the host communities and they are continuously demolishing. Apart from these, many heritage sites are unprotected and some are under the possession of a public authority.

A local site custodian of DoA is conducting site maintenance and management policies. The local community has become an essential part of the site because most of the community is an agrarian society around the heritage sites. There are a large number of tangible heritage sites and numerous intangible heritages that are partially practiced in Mahasthangarh region [12]. So, it can be safely said that, without community engagement, effective heritage management is quite impossible for the local custodians (**Figure 6**)*.*

The Burra Charter addressed that heritage conservation and management will become unsustainable without community/stakeholder engagement [13]. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people of several religions, both national and international, assemble here as part of their religious and traditional festivals and recreation. These kinds of religious and culturally renowned events are utterly involved with tangible heritage. The general vision for community engagement in the Mahasthangarh heritage sites is to ensure the local communities benefit from the safeguarding of the heritage, so that they can connect socially, culturally, or economically with "their" heritage sites.

In the context of a developing country, Bott *et al.* and Driscoll *et al.* experiment the four attributes of stakeholders, where they found every stakeholder has a high legitimacy and sole the local community retains all attributes at the high levels, along with they also found poorly relationship with other stakeholders due to deficiency of proper communication [14, 15].

#### **Figure 6.**

*Tomb of Mir Sayyid Sultan Mahmud Mahisawar of Mahasthangarh, one of the earliest Sufi saints of Bengal.*

#### **Figure 7.**

*Bar chart shows the profile of 250 individual respondents, who were interviewed from various sectors with formatted questionnaires.*

Local communities would like to participate in heritage management through village tourism, river tourism, and homestay program. For the unprotected and publicly owned heritage sites, it is of vital importance of public participation for

*The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109527*

these heritages for their demolition, and safeguarding against threats and challenges. Notwithstanding, community engagement in heritage management is a new concept in this region and can hardly be observed here in Bangladesh. DoA should have to start the effective implementation of the community engagement policy from Mahasthangarh (**Figure 7**).

#### **6. Discussion**

Collaboration, cooperation, and engagement of stakeholders are major issues in the heritage management planning process [12]. This research noted that sustainable heritage conservation and management have relied heavily on the active role of museums and engagement of the local communities, in particular, and other relevant stakeholders, in general. Most of the stakeholders, particularly the local community, did not get an invitation from the site manager (**Figure 8**). The site manager needs to prepare a preliminary list of stakeholders and their concerns about heritage sites. Khan details discussed the stakeholders and their possible roles in the heritage management activities of Mahasthangarh [16].

The present site manager of Mahasthangarh and DoA needs to incorporate with the local community through cooperation, dialog, involvement during the decision making, engaging in management activities, and respecting their demands. The same should be maintained for all stakeholders. The social, cultural, and economic benefits of site management and tourism activities should distribute equitably to the men and women of the existing local or host communities at all levels through training, educating, and creating employment opportunities. A significant portion of the revenue of heritage sites particularly comes from tourism should be allotted priority base to the site management activities, socioeconomic development, and poverty alleviation around the heritage site. Local college and school students would like to participate as heritage site interpreters and guides.

There is an urgent need to clearly identify the core zone and buffer zone boundary of the Mahasthangarh heritage site. The delineation of core zone and buffer zone boundaries is an essential requirement in the establishment of effective and

#### **Figure 8.** *The bar chart shows the results of "Yes" and "No" questions.*

sustainable protection of heritage properties. Boundaries should be drawn to incorporate all the attributes that convey the outstanding universal value (OUV) and to ensure the integrity and/or authenticity of the property [17]. DoA can develop a zoning system in the greater Mahasthangarh territory to provide effective protection to the ruins, including natural heritage, which makes up the cultural landscape to conserve and protect the esthetics values and OUV of the Mahasthangarh.

It is mentionable that in the citadel area, ancient settlements and monuments are located in the eastern part at the same alignment from the north rampart (Jahazghat site) to the south (Mazar area) (**Figure 2**). Primarily, in the context of a short-term plan, the DoA should protect this eastern part with a wall boundary and can develop tourism with a ticket system to earn revenue, which will manage the heritage perfectly. The regular site maintenance and monitoring activities can control and prevent theft, vandalism, and accidental unwitting damage in the Mahasthangarh citadel area as well as ensure the staff and visitors' safety. It is necessary to take plan and policy for the effective management of most potential heritage sites and should be well-planned and long-term policy with regular monitoring on the basis of the National Heritage Act and international standards.

Field assessments suggest local communities have a better understanding of which factors might be damaging to the archeological sites and monuments (**Figure 5**). If the people of the local community get the opportunity to join the site management team as an officer and understand the importance of the heritage sites of the Mahasthangarh, they will notice damaging activities and report such damage to the relevant authorities (museum/site manager). DoA should have to start the effective implementation of community engagement policy from the Mahasthangarh regions.

Every visitor naturally appreciates an amiable welcome and support with any accidental problems. The museum staff and guide need to treat visitors as guests to be welcomed and helped, along with having to protect them from theft or any unwitting damage. It is essential that facilities, including toilets, and shaded areas with seats should be provided. On the other hand, an interpretation center needs to be set up adjacent to the museum and should be made clearly visible to visitors arriving at the site. Most of the respondents don not know the informative history and importance of heritage safeguarding (**Figure 4**). There is a need to publish educational materials, such as Mahasthan children's books, leaflets, souvenirs, booklets, and general books, regarding the importance of heritage protection and make them obtainable at every site and the museum gate. For successful visitor management, firstly, site manager should identify visitors' expectations, needs, and satisfactions.

Interpretation, education, publication, and research are significant factors in effective and sustainable heritage management. The site manager with the help of DoA should establish a permanent research and training center at the site to properly interpret and regular publication with educational materials to provide visitors and research interests. Along with this, there is a need to set up long-term educational programs at and around the site and make sure local educational institutions (schools, college, university, and madrasha) benefit from these functions. The site manager also can develop different types of skills with effective training of the local artisan, handicraftsmen, guide, officer of the museum, and site management team as well as increase proper employment opportunities to enhance the socioeconomic condition of the existing communities around the sites. Almost every inhabitant coexists at the citadel and participates in heritage management through village/rural tourism (60%), *The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109527*

#### **Figure 9.**

*The bar chart shows the results of the question "how would you like to participate in the site management program if the DoA offers?"*

#### **Figure 10.**

*3D reconstruction model of the archeological complex of the Mahasthangarh citadel, showing the Karatoya River in the eastern side, and the moat surrounding the other three sides of the citadel [12].*

river tourism (60%), home stay program (50%), and guide (20%) (**Figure 9**), which will provide socioeconomic and infrastructural benefit to the local communities and regional government resulted in heritage, which will be protected from decay and damage. These tourisms could play an important role in poverty alleviation of Mahasthangarh area. Jahan discussed how and in what ways intangible heritage tourism can play an effective role to improve social benefits and community involvement in protecting and managing the cultural heritage of Bangladesh [18]. It is mentionable that any tourism in the Mahasthangarh area should remember that the main objective is to protect, promote, and manage the tangible and intangible heritage. There are numerous significant intangible cultural heritages that bear the testimony of esthetics and outstanding universal values that need to develop inventories and updated regularly (**Figure 10**) [12].

#### **7. Conclusion**

Mahasthangarh area is a huge village and river tourism potential for its charming landscape, massive rampart, river, and deep moat with marshland (**Figures 1** and **2**). The overlooked intangible heritage of Mahasthangarh could be promoted through village/rural tourism and river tourism. Generally, these types of tourism facilitate and promote the regional intangible heritage, such as folklores, handicrafts, traditional songs, dance, foods and games, and also indigenous culture. City dwellers and foreign tourists can enjoy rural culture by spending the night at the citadel area. The promotion, distribution, and sale of local produce, including handicrafts, Bogurar Doi (Yogurt of Bogura), Mahasthan Kotkoti (dry cracker biscuit), and other products should provide a reasonable social and economic return to the local community while ensuring that their intangible cultural heritage integrity is not degraded.

**Different types of fair festivals and religious festivals held at the bank of Korotoya River and the Tomb of Sufi saint Mahisawar** (**Figure 6**), **which have been conducted by the local communities without any assistance of DoA, where thousands of pilgrims gather every year from home and abroad.** Like many other Mosques and Tomb of Bangladesh, Mahasthangarh Mosque and Tomb are well managed and regularly monitored by local communities, contrariwise ancient mounds are damaging that is managed by only DoA. It is safely assumed that if DoA actively engages local communities through village and river tourism, the heritage of Mahasthangarh will be well managed. Most of the local community and some of the museum officials believe that village and river tourism could bring lots of benefits to the host community and can be an important mechanism for sustainable human development, including poverty alleviation, employment generation, development of rural areas, and progression of women and other disadvantaged groups resulted in local community that would be encouraged to safeguard archeological heritage from devastations for their interest. During the fieldwork, some important needs were identified following the conduct of some tourists. These are transports inside and around the citadel of Mahasthangarh, shady resting place, tourist guide with proper knowledge of the site, enough pure drinking water, safety against beggars, fraudsters, vagabonds, and local vendors.

Most of the respondents are unable to talk about Mahasthangarh without myth and legends; also, they are not aware of the importance of heritage safeguarding (**Figure 4**). Therefore, the heritage of Bangladesh and the importance of heritage protection need to include in the textbook through the national curriculum board.

#### *The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109527*

The present existing Antiquity Act 1968 (amended 1976) is not adequate to conserve and manage the heritage site of Bangladesh. The act should be revised to provide sufficient protection and sustainable management of heritage. The sustainable heritage site management of Mahasthangarh requires a work plan to operate the aims and objectives properly of the entire management activities step by step, and need to be developed annual, short-term (5 years), mid-term (up to 10 years), and long-term (25–30 years), and should be updated with revision.

### **Author details**

Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan Khan\* and Mohammad Niamul Huda Department of Archaeology, Comilla University, Bangladesh

\*Address all correspondence to: smkhanju@gmail.com

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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### Section 2
