International network event on urban heritage in times of conflict

Oleksandra Tkachenko, chairwoman UNUN (Ukraine-Netherlands Urban Network) and urban planner at Kuiper Compagnons

Dana Kushman, Navigating Urban Expansion and Social Polarization: Heritage Preservation and the Urban Image Identity of Amman

While aiming to modernize and attract economic growth, these initiatives often entail the demolition of historic structures and traditional neighborhoods - a process known as creative destruction. This approach, while fostering development, raises concerns about erasing local architectural heritage and displacing longstanding communities. The loss of historical fabric diminishes tangible links to Amman's past, affecting its cultural identity. Moreover, such projects can disrupt social cohesion by displacing residents and altering neighborhood dynamics, thereby challenging the city's intangible social fabric. Balancing the preservation of Amman's heritage with economic growth pressures requires navigating regulatory challenges and fostering inclusive public engagement to address community concerns and ensure sustainable urban development that respects and preserves the city's rich cultural heritage.

Liza Ievseieva, Liza Goncharenko and Anastasiia Gorkova, Working with Heritage in War

Due to the ongoing occupation and constant shelling, the approach to working with cultural heritage sites in Ukraine is changing dramatically. Experts and activists are facing new challenges and searching for solutions. This presentation will explore the experience of working with both tangible and intangible heritage in the occupied territories of Ukraine, focusing on the "stone embroideries" of Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region. Emphasis will be placed on community involvement, participatory practices, fostering positive "appropriation" of heritage, and addressing visions of the past and future, as well as memory and strategy.

The experience of the “Ancient Kyiv” Conservation Area will highlight the challenges of preserving immovable objects, from initial rescue efforts to cultural and educational activities aimed at engaging the community. Discussions on the reconstruction of urban spaces will go beyond physical restoration to address deep-seated urban trauma and facilitate collective healing. Innovative strategies in adaptive reuse will be presented, demonstrating how repurposing existing structures can serve as a catalyst for urban regeneration and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Nimalka Passanha, CER Ukraine Action Plan

Ukrainian  cultural practitioners now have two years of experience responding to heritage needs in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Through this discussion we are looking to distil best practices in working in an emergency situation as well as understand how to prepare better for future emergencies. We are also looking to explore what the public perception is around the protection of cultural heritage in an ongoing emergency.

What advice would you give to other cultural practitioners looking to safeguard cultural heritage in an ongoing emergency? What resources do you wish you had in the last two years that would have made protection of cultural heritage easier?

Mila Avellar Montezuma, Serious Game: Water Values

A single stone wields the power to shape the entire water flow. Likewise, the same awe-inspiring dynamics come into play when you delve into managing water resources on a grand scale. In times of conflict, water has been a target or casualty of violence. For instance, when the Russian army deliberately breached Kakhovka dam in in southeastern Ukraine unleashing catastrophic flooding, set to spark a water crisis in the region, which experts fear could last for generations.

By stepping into the Serious Game on Water Values, we simulate reality(ies): brace yourself for the profound impact of your decisions, as each alteration carries the potential to ignite both incredible transformations and unintended consequences. You and your team will embark on a multi-decade odyssey, shaping a unique landscape – for the good or bad. As you represent economic, cultural, or technological values, the challenge lies in safeguarding the common good while protecting the interests that define you.

Olena Chernieva, Preservation and Maintenance of Odesa’s Historical Building Heritage

This presentation will examine the monuments that have special architectural, historical, and cultural value for the City of Odesa: the Odesa Opera House, Vorontsov Lighthouse, Church of St. Paul, and Hotel Passage. Brief historical information about these monuments will be provided, and conclusions will be drawn about their current technical condition. Additionally, the advisability of preserving the historical heritage of the Soviet Era will be considered. We will trace how the appearance of buildings has changed historically, identify existing problems, and discuss possible ways to resolve these challenges. As we peregrinate the slides of the presentation together, you will feel the vibrancy of the city, breathe in the aroma of the sea breeze, relish the grandeur of the majestic historical buildings, and feel like a ‘true’ resident of my city of Odesa!

Avda Matar & Ana Jayone Yarza Pérez, Multicultural Communities in Segregated Areas and Conflict Zones: Scenarios and Methods for Dealing with Transition - The Case of Nicosia, Cyprus

Be it political, environmental, or economic, situations of “crises” have historically generated population movements and displacement at global, national, and local scales. Amongst the most recent occurrences in European territories are the ongoing war in Ukraine and the 2015 refugee crisis, which have caused large-scale movements of people leading to the creation of arrival communities and places left behind. At the city scale, the aftermath of conflicts such as the Bosnian war in the city of Mostar, the Cyprus conflict, and the division of Nicosia have led to segregated communities, population exchange, and ethno-territorially divided urban areas. Such a rupture is particularly visible in historic urban cores that once used to operate as complex, heterogeneous, yet interconnected entities.

This workshop will explore, through investigations of spatial transformations of historic urban areas of conflict, the coexistence of multicultural communities, using the historic urban area of Nicosia within the Venetian Walls as a case study.

During the workshop, participants will be introduced to a theoretical and methodological framework to navigate complex environments of conflict and use role-playing for imagining alternatives for the city where multiple communities and various heritage layers can coexist.

Michaela Hanssen, The Significance of the Faro Convention in Times of Conflict

The 2005 Faro Convention is about “the value of cultural heritage for society.” Whereas Ukraine signed it quickly in 2007, The Netherlands did so only this year. However, not before an extensive participative and open process was organized in which the Dutch heritage field discussed the practical significance the treaty should have for The Netherlands. Every country is different and can attach different values to ‘Faro’. This process led to the implementation agenda "On the Way to Faro," in which those involved in cultural heritage formulated the Faro ambitions for The Netherlands. Three core values were identified:

1. Heritage participation as broad as possible
2. An open attitude towards different views on what heritage is
3. Linking cultural heritage to societal challenges

Additionally, ambitions were formulated for no less than 16 themes. Currently, what role does ‘Faro’ play in Ukraine's heritage work?

Mila Avellar Montezuma, Serious Game: Water Values

A single stone wields the power to shape the entire water flow. Likewise, the same awe-inspiring dynamics come into play when you delve into managing water resources on a grand scale. In times of conflict, water has been a target or casualty of violence. For instance, when the Russian army deliberately breached Kakhovka dam in in southeastern Ukraine unleashing catastrophic flooding, set to spark a water crisis in the region, which experts fear could last for generations.

By stepping into the Serious Game on Water Values, we simulate reality(ies): brace yourself for the profound impact of your decisions, as each alteration carries the potential to ignite both incredible transformations and unintended consequences. You and your team will embark on a multi-decade odyssey, shaping a unique landscape – for the good or bad. As you represent economic, cultural, or technological values, the challenge lies in safeguarding the common good while protecting the interests that define you.

Liubov Apostolova-Sossa, Focus on Heritage in the Education of Urban Planners: Ukrainian Wartime Experience

In this presentation, I will share my experience of introducing cultural heritage preservation and approaches to planning historic districts into the training of urban planning students in Ukraine. I will inform my colleagues about our experience in conducting interdisciplinary urban studies schools in Kyiv and Lviv, as well as our research practice with the Center for Urban Studies, where we, together with novice researchers, tried to find the identity of one of the post-Soviet districts of Kyiv. The presentation will highlight the peculiarities and experience of working with students during wartime, and how we, together with students, rethought and adapted peacetime solutions to the realities of wartime. I will also share the experience of introducing a unit related to the preservation of cultural heritage into existing educational courses on urban reconstruction and creating an educational discipline "Cultural Heritage" within the Master's program "Urban and Spatial Planning." In addition, I will present the results of joint achievements with our German colleagues within the framework of the DAAD program for Ukrainian students, where we worked on the development of an integrated concept for the Drohobych city center. The presentation will also focus on informal and interactive educational activities, such as urban walks, as a way to draw students' attention to the issue of cultural heritage preservation.

Avda Matar & Ana Jayone Yarza Pérez, Multicultural Communities in Segregated Areas and Conflict Zones: Scenarios and Methods for Dealing with Transition - The Case of Nicosia, Cyprus

Be it political, environmental, or economic, situations of “crises” have historically generated population movements and displacement at global, national, and local scales. Amongst the most recent occurrences in European territories are the ongoing war in Ukraine and the 2015 refugee crisis, which have caused large-scale movements of people leading to the creation of arrival communities and places left behind. At the city scale, the aftermath of conflicts such as the Bosnian war in the city of Mostar, the Cyprus conflict, and the division of Nicosia have led to segregated communities, population exchange, and ethno-territorially divided urban areas. Such a rupture is particularly visible in historic urban cores that once used to operate as complex, heterogeneous, yet interconnected entities.

This workshop will explore, through investigations of spatial transformations of historic urban areas of conflict, the coexistence of multicultural communities, using the historic urban area of Nicosia within the Venetian Walls as a case study.

During the workshop, participants will be introduced to a theoretical and methodological framework to navigate complex environments of conflict and use role-playing for imagining alternatives for the city where multiple communities and various heritage layers can coexist.

Anastasia Palii, Hopes and challenges for people during war: what is the role of people, communities and their participation?

Using the example of the project "Okhtyrka: Urban Vision," developed by the Urban Reform team in 2023, Anastasia will share conclusions about how communities participate in the process of recovery of Ukrainian cities that suffered from hostilities. She will discuss the role of communities, their wishes, their feelings towards heritage, and the challenges Ukrainians currently face in this area. The topic of people and heritage is sensitive and complex, with many teams in Ukraine engaging in open dialogue and searching for the right methods on how to work with it. The example of Okhtyrka will help us understand more deeply and raise important questions for future discussions.

Mila Avellar Montezuma, Serious Game: Water Values

A single stone wields the power to shape the entire water flow. Likewise, the same awe-inspiring dynamics come into play when you delve into managing water resources on a grand scale. In times of conflict, water has been a target or casualty of violence. For instance, when the Russian army deliberately breached Kakhovka dam in in southeastern Ukraine unleashing catastrophic flooding, set to spark a water crisis in the region, which experts fear could last for generations.

By stepping into the Serious Game on Water Values, we simulate reality(ies): brace yourself for the profound impact of your decisions, as each alteration carries the potential to ignite both incredible transformations and unintended consequences. You and your team will embark on a multi-decade odyssey, shaping a unique landscape – for the good or bad. As you represent economic, cultural, or technological values, the challenge lies in safeguarding the common good while protecting the interests that define you.