POST-INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPES: AN HERITAGE-LED RESPONSE TO DEINDUSTRIALIZATION AND RECOVERY

Activity: Talk or presentationOral presentation

Description

Postindustrial areas, where industry was once the community’s engine but no longer has the power to operate the community, are a particularly sensitive area for development throughout the world, especially the ‘Western world’, as industry moves abroad or gives way to a new society based on services. The identity of these areas and their communities becomes shaped by population loss, pollution and economic stagnation, and infrastructure decay. When transformed, these suffer profound changes in the landscape but also in their “spirit of place”. This paper examines the potential of heritage-led responses in post-industrial landscapes, focusing on deindustrialization and community development, to provide an improved understanding of the phenomena in its various dimensions. Drawing from landscape archaeology and systems science, it highlights the socio-cultural significance of these landscapes and the potential harnessed by industrial heritage to lead post-industrial landscapes into vibrant, culturally rich spaces that support the needs and aspirations of their communities in transition. It argues for a strategic integration of heritage management into planning and recuperation efforts, suggesting that our industrial past can provide invaluable tools for a sustainable future, and offers 10 multidisciplinary suggestions for stakeholders involved in heritage conservation, urban planning, and community development.
Period23 Nov 2023
Event titleUNCERTAIN LANDSCAPES: BEYOND TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES
Event typeConference
LocationGuimarães, PortugalShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

Keywords

  • landscape archaeology
  • deindustrialization
  • industrial heritage
  • sustainable development
  • systems science