Training for urban preservation: current issues
Jukka Jokilehto, Training Committee of ICOMOS International, President CIF
Conservation and restoration, first of the architectural and then of the urban heritage,
have emerged as specific disciplines during the past half-century or so. This has
resulted in the development of a new approach to design and planning, based on the
understanding that the issue is not just of conceiving something ‘new’, but rather of
getting involved in an existing context with its particular conditions, values and
processes. Considering the intrinsic difference of the tasks and skills involved in
safeguarding the built heritage, compared with designing a new construction,
conventional training requires some adjustment as well as new didactic forms in
order to reach the expected outcome. Most international recommendations and
conventions, such as the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO, have recognized
training and education of relevant target groups as an integral part of the
safeguarding strategies. It is not an accident that training has become one of the main
tasks of ICCROM, and that ICOMOS has established the International Scientific
Committee for Training.
Conservation of cultural heritage should be based, first of all, on understanding what
and why is protected, which is also one of the basic issues in conservation training.
During recent decades, the concept of cultural heritage has come to include the
notions of ‘historic town’ and ‘cultural landscape’. Their meaning is being
challenged, e.g., in the process of the assessment of new nominations presented to
the World Heritage List. Recent years have shown that the previous emphasis on the
economic values of the so-called ‘turbo-capitalism’ in urban planning has mostly
failed to reach the expected results. While cities have continued to grow at an
increasing speed in most parts of the world, they have also become centres of crises,
undermining the welfare of communities. It is now recognized even by economically
oriented international organizations, such as UNDP or the World Bank, that the real
basis must be found in culturally sustainable development.
Seeing the imposing amount of construction during the latter half of the 20th
century, and recognizing that this newly formed territory itself may represent
heritage values, there is need to promote learning processes at the grassroots level, in
order to build up a cultural and social consciousness of relevant values and
priorities. This should involve all parts of the community, and local authorities
should act as catalysts in the process. The training of building professions, architects,
engineers and planners need to be seen in this new context. The fundamental
approach is based on the capacity of critical evaluation of trends and alternatives,
and the key issues relate to the promotion of participation and assessment of
alternatives in view of deciding on priorities. Apart from obtaining an in-depth
knowledge in their relevant fields, specialised conservation professionals should be
capable of acting as team leaders, involving different disciplines. They should be
aware of the methodology of integrated conservation, and be able to advance the
principles of human sustainable development. In training programmes, particular
attention should be given to the development of communication and problem
solving skills.
