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Themes
Since “The Athens Charter for
the Restoration of Historic Monuments” of 1931,
numerous documents: charters, conventions,
declarations, guidelines, recommendations and
the like have been adopted by variety of
assemblies of professionals, politicians and
dilettantes. These documents embody the ambition
of their initiators to guide the conservation of
monuments and sites in different countries,
regions, and in the whole world. Each of them
reflects the thinking of its creators at a given
time. Changing times, new people and evolving
collective experience give birth to new
paradigms. They result in more documents, and
sometimes in the efforts to revise the existing
documents.
This seminar addresses a
problem expressed in three questions:
1. Practice
Are these collectively
produced documents effective and productive? Do
they influence the practice of urban
conservation, and how?
We suggest looking at the
practice of urban conservation, and trying to
track such influences – in management
frameworks, programs, and projects.
2. Theory
Do these documents reflect
the state of theory of urban conservation at
their time? Do they drive the development of the
theory? Do they respond to new ideas of
philosophy and epistemology?
We call for investigation of
connections between such documents, the theory
of urban development, and wider areas of thought
and knowledge.
3. Diversity
Are such documents and the
principles expressed in them universally
applicable? Do they need to be interpreted
differently in different cultural settings?
We look for examples
demonstrating results of universal and
particular application of these documents.
We invite all stakeholders of
urban development: professionals - from
architects and planners to economists and
developers to scholars of culture; politicians,
and conservation advocates to present their
views and findings in papers addressing these
questions and to send them to the scientific
committee of the 5th International
Seminar on Urban Conservation.
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