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Revitalizing historical urban quarters
Book reviews by the proliferation of definitions. But it does have the attraction that it leaves everyone free to adopt their own definition. Thus, while we have adopted the principle widely, it does mean that we can never be sure whether or not we have achieved sustainability in practice. Having said that, the principle does point towards a set of ideas and approaches that are now called into play in numerous contexts. How can these ideas be drawn together into some sort of coherent framework? What background knowledge or training should be provided for those being called upon to implement the principle? Anthony Clayton and Nicholas Radcliffe have provided a general introduction, aimed at readers of approximately undergraduate level, that maps out the relevant backgrounds from environmental science, economics and philosophy. They offer systems thinking as a framework within which to bring the diverse concepts together. The aim of the book (p 7) is to develop an analysis that can span the issues and provide a coherent reason and direction for social change. After an introductory chapter, the book sets out with an outline of systems theory and a brief overview of environmental issues. The core of the book draws primarily on concepts from economics, discussing capital, economic growth, valuation, policy instruments, investment, and finance. The main application of the systems approach is developed through a discussion of information aggregation and decision-making. Sustainability Assessment Maps are presented as a technique to analyse the relative sustainability of alternative development options. These describe the characteristics of projects in many dimensions, such as biological depletion, energy input or employment impact. These impacts are then presented graphically for each alternative with a measure of each impact radiating within a circle providing an immediate indication of its relative significance. A central purpose of the method is to lay bare all of the parts of the decision-making process, although it would seem to do so at the risk that the presentation method itself introduces other implicit judgements. Many will find frustrations through
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the book. The inevitably cursory treatment of many topics and, at least with respect to the economics, the non-standard terminology is in some places inadequate and in others misleading. For instance, readers may feel dissatisfied with the discussions of the debates about discount rates, the assumptions about the efficiency of capital markets or the treatment of the concepts of value. There is substantial criticism of a somewhat 'straw man' version of neoclassical economics, and one may wonder why it is necessary to seek to criticise one particular approach in a text which is attempting to introduce some basic concepts. The text certainly presents much that will be central to an understanding and analysis of sustainability. But ultimately it remains somewhat unsatisfying. Perhaps we need to accept that an understanding of the management of natural resources depends upon a higher level of understanding that can be provided through an introductory text of this sort and that a bridge between the disciplines can only be built successfully at a higher level of knowledge.
lan Hodge University of Cambridge Department of Land Economy Cambridge CB3 9EP, UK
Revitalizing Historical Urban Quarters Steven Tiesdell, Taner Oc and Tim Heath
Architectural Press Oxford (1996) 234pp ISBN 0 7506 2890 1 £25.50 paperback Conservation is now firmly entrenched in planning throughout the majority of Westernised industrial countries, even though many individual planning authorities appear to have relatively little firm commitment to it in terms of finance and other resources. Conservation is often the first activity which is cut back in times of economic recession. Nevertheless, in the present post-industrial, post-modern world, there are aspects of conservation activity that materially can affect local economies, in addition to the numerous other benefits often ascribed to conservation. It is
this facet with which Tiesdell, Oc and Heath mainly, and usefully, deal. Others have examined the rise of the 'tourist-historic city' (Ashworth and Tunbridge, 1990), where the focus of planning efforts, economic development and marketing focus on the key element of heritage, in order to generate tourism income - - often to replace former economic dependence on manufacturing industry. Allied to this is the rise in the concept of 'place-marketing' in the promotion of selected aspects of the identity of a place - - even the creation of wholly new, 'artificial', attributes. The concept of 'heritage', the selection and commodification of elements of the past, is inextricably entwined with these processes. Urban regeneration, too, has a part to play in this picture, but is too often treated as a separate academic or practical concern. As to the relatively new field of urban design, its relationships with other policy areas, management or professions has been far from clear. Tiesdell et al. draw these strands together. In looking at 'historic urban quarters', this book usefully deals with these issues within the spatial framework of an increasingly popular concept in planning and urban design: the 'urban quarter'. This is defined (p 9) as "areas which retain their historic integrity and cohesion as quarters - - rather than fragmentary remnants of previously much larger entities". This is a welcome change of focus from many previous works, which have tended to focus on 'historic towns' - - in reality, just the 'historic core', however that may be defined. Nevertheless, as a geographer, the concept of an 'urban quarter' is both fascinating and frustrating. It is clear that there is very little actual cohesion - - spatially, in physical fabric or in land use - - to some of the 'quarters' which are being invented at present (cf. those promulgated for Birmingham by the Tibbalds Monro study of 1990). This book deals only very lightly with their definitions, seeming to regard many as self-evident. Perhaps many of its examples are - Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, Bradford's Little Germany and Nottingham's Lace Market are both familiar and, individually, spatially circumscribed and therefore now identified, by ring roads etc.
Book reviews Tiesdell et al structure this volume in eight chapters, of which the first is introductory and deals with the necessary definitions and approaches, and the last is a summary. The remaining six chapters deal with the substantive themes of the economic challenge of these historic quarters; re-evaluating their qualities; tourism- and culture-led revitalisation; housing-led revitalisation; revitalising industrial and commercial quarters; and design in historic urban quarters. The economic challenge chapter deals at some length with the concept of obsolescence, drawing primarily from Lichfield's major work on the economics of conservation (1988). Perhaps some wider referencing, to key early works which recognised and explored the multiple concepts of obsolescence, beginning with Cowan in the early 1960s, would have been helpful. Much of the remainder of the chapter focuses, probably rightly, on US examples. Here, the concepts and approaches were first devised and tested, sometimes in the courts. In evaluating the qualities of these places, the next chapter begins with a brief critique of modernist (ie post-war) approaches, and the reaction against its monolithic redevelopments. Predictably, Jane Jacobs is cited. But Jacobs is well-known now, and it would have been more interesting to see more exploration of the views of Alexander, Krier and more recent writers. In introducing the term 'post-modernism', I am not convinced that enough space is given to discussing the relevance and importance of this very concept of the book's theme. Post-modernism is a difficult and diffuse concept, and the position of conservation as (i) a reaction to Modernism and/or (ii) a Post-modern reaction is under-explored. This chapter also introduces the concept of 'management' of historic urban spaces as fundamental to their successful revitalisation: this is then explored in the following three chapters. But did this vital theme, which I would agree is both correct and appropriate, really arise from the chapter theme of 'qualities of places'? The next chapters deal interestingly with the themes of culture, housing and commerce/industry: an interesting range of very different historic urban quarters. Case studies are used extensively. Many are familiar, but even
here we learn something new in the majority of cases. In educational terms, the utility of having this material in one volume is considerable. In the chapter on housing-led revitalisation, I was interested to see the continuing focus on inner urban areas: the Marais, central Bologna, Glasgow's Merchant City, and so on. In the UK, suburbs are becoming increasingly important as conserved districts. Although many are self-maintaining, owing to the wealth of their residents, it would be interesting to see the concepts of this book applied to the more run-down suburb conservation areas - - themselves, equally, 'historic urban quarters'. The last substantive chapter deals with the vexed question of design. After the critique of Modernism in chapter 3, it is a pity that this chapter is not explicitly structured as an assessment or critique of Post-modernism - for that, in essence, is what it is. Key issues of faqadism and historic integrity, contextual compatibility or novel juxtapositions are all discussed. This chapter, very relevantly, raises issues of the maintenance of the character or appearance of these quarters, and the need - - in some form - - to 'manage' change. Yet it also reveals the general lack, in the Westernised world at least, of any ethic or philosophy of urban conservation. In revitalising - - after all, the core message of this book - we are often faced with new development as "assertive, confident architecture which appeals more by bravado than cerebral considerations" (Edwards, cited on p 191). Perhaps, if we accept Ashworth's arguments about heritage planning, issues regarding authenticity are sterile and pointless. All of us inevitably perceive and re-make the past for our own purposes (cf. Lowenthal, 1985). But, in terms of public debate, the design of revitalised historic districts in the UK can probably be summed up in one word: 'bollards' - the unthinking use of pseudo-historical items purchased from the catalogues of nation-wide suppliers. In opening up the issues of revitalisation in general, exploring their relevance to a range of historic districts, and explicitly introducing important concepts of design and management, this book achieves a useful objective. Of course, the details of urban design
philosophy, aesthetic control, conservation ethics and so on can be pursued elsewhere. This book does, though, make the connections explicit and makes the reader want to search for that detail elsewhere! There are some unfortunate, but largely minor, errors and omissions in the volume: beginning with the omission of 'appearance' - - a vital characteristic - from the UK's definition of the conservation area on page 1. Most of these faults are incidental and do not unduly affect the value of the volume as a whole. In my opinion the authors would have benefited from more careful proof-reading; but, as I also know to my cost, the pressure to ensure that publications appeared before the UK government's Research Assessment Exercise deadline in March 1996 caused similar problems in a number of books, for which the authors cannot reasonably be held entirely responsible. This book is well and fluently written, being both informative and a good read. The illustrations are clearly reproduced, informative and appropriate. Relatively little of the information is absolutely new: the work of others, including URBED, has made us familiar with many of the UK case study districts. Nevertheless, their collation into one volume, their focus on the 'quarter' concept, their consideration under headings of different forms of regeneration, are all useful. As a reasonably priced paperback, this is ideal and welcome material for teaching across the fields of urban regeneration, conservation and design.
References Ashworth, GJ and Tunbridge, JE (1990) The Tourist-historic City, Belhaven, London. Lichfield, N (1988) Economics in Urban Conservation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Lowenthal, D (1985) The Past is a Foreign Country, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Peter J Larkham School of Planning University of Central England Birmingham B42 2SU, UK
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the book. The inevitably cursory treatment of many topics and, at least with respect to the economics, the non-standard terminology is in some places inadequate and in others misleading. For instance, readers may feel dissatisfied with the discussions of the debates about discount rates, the assumptions about the efficiency of capital markets or the treatment of the concepts of value. There is substantial criticism of a somewhat 'straw man' version of neoclassical economics, and one may wonder why it is necessary to seek to criticise one particular approach in a text which is attempting to introduce some basic concepts. The text certainly presents much that will be central to an understanding and analysis of sustainability. But ultimately it remains somewhat unsatisfying. Perhaps we need to accept that an understanding of the management of natural resources depends upon a higher level of understanding that can be provided through an introductory text of this sort and that a bridge between the disciplines can only be built successfully at a higher level of knowledge.
lan Hodge University of Cambridge Department of Land Economy Cambridge CB3 9EP, UK
Revitalizing Historical Urban Quarters Steven Tiesdell, Taner Oc and Tim Heath
Architectural Press Oxford (1996) 234pp ISBN 0 7506 2890 1 £25.50 paperback Conservation is now firmly entrenched in planning throughout the majority of Westernised industrial countries, even though many individual planning authorities appear to have relatively little firm commitment to it in terms of finance and other resources. Conservation is often the first activity which is cut back in times of economic recession. Nevertheless, in the present post-industrial, post-modern world, there are aspects of conservation activity that materially can affect local economies, in addition to the numerous other benefits often ascribed to conservation. It is
this facet with which Tiesdell, Oc and Heath mainly, and usefully, deal. Others have examined the rise of the 'tourist-historic city' (Ashworth and Tunbridge, 1990), where the focus of planning efforts, economic development and marketing focus on the key element of heritage, in order to generate tourism income - - often to replace former economic dependence on manufacturing industry. Allied to this is the rise in the concept of 'place-marketing' in the promotion of selected aspects of the identity of a place - - even the creation of wholly new, 'artificial', attributes. The concept of 'heritage', the selection and commodification of elements of the past, is inextricably entwined with these processes. Urban regeneration, too, has a part to play in this picture, but is too often treated as a separate academic or practical concern. As to the relatively new field of urban design, its relationships with other policy areas, management or professions has been far from clear. Tiesdell et al. draw these strands together. In looking at 'historic urban quarters', this book usefully deals with these issues within the spatial framework of an increasingly popular concept in planning and urban design: the 'urban quarter'. This is defined (p 9) as "areas which retain their historic integrity and cohesion as quarters - - rather than fragmentary remnants of previously much larger entities". This is a welcome change of focus from many previous works, which have tended to focus on 'historic towns' - - in reality, just the 'historic core', however that may be defined. Nevertheless, as a geographer, the concept of an 'urban quarter' is both fascinating and frustrating. It is clear that there is very little actual cohesion - - spatially, in physical fabric or in land use - - to some of the 'quarters' which are being invented at present (cf. those promulgated for Birmingham by the Tibbalds Monro study of 1990). This book deals only very lightly with their definitions, seeming to regard many as self-evident. Perhaps many of its examples are - Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, Bradford's Little Germany and Nottingham's Lace Market are both familiar and, individually, spatially circumscribed and therefore now identified, by ring roads etc.
Book reviews Tiesdell et al structure this volume in eight chapters, of which the first is introductory and deals with the necessary definitions and approaches, and the last is a summary. The remaining six chapters deal with the substantive themes of the economic challenge of these historic quarters; re-evaluating their qualities; tourism- and culture-led revitalisation; housing-led revitalisation; revitalising industrial and commercial quarters; and design in historic urban quarters. The economic challenge chapter deals at some length with the concept of obsolescence, drawing primarily from Lichfield's major work on the economics of conservation (1988). Perhaps some wider referencing, to key early works which recognised and explored the multiple concepts of obsolescence, beginning with Cowan in the early 1960s, would have been helpful. Much of the remainder of the chapter focuses, probably rightly, on US examples. Here, the concepts and approaches were first devised and tested, sometimes in the courts. In evaluating the qualities of these places, the next chapter begins with a brief critique of modernist (ie post-war) approaches, and the reaction against its monolithic redevelopments. Predictably, Jane Jacobs is cited. But Jacobs is well-known now, and it would have been more interesting to see more exploration of the views of Alexander, Krier and more recent writers. In introducing the term 'post-modernism', I am not convinced that enough space is given to discussing the relevance and importance of this very concept of the book's theme. Post-modernism is a difficult and diffuse concept, and the position of conservation as (i) a reaction to Modernism and/or (ii) a Post-modern reaction is under-explored. This chapter also introduces the concept of 'management' of historic urban spaces as fundamental to their successful revitalisation: this is then explored in the following three chapters. But did this vital theme, which I would agree is both correct and appropriate, really arise from the chapter theme of 'qualities of places'? The next chapters deal interestingly with the themes of culture, housing and commerce/industry: an interesting range of very different historic urban quarters. Case studies are used extensively. Many are familiar, but even
here we learn something new in the majority of cases. In educational terms, the utility of having this material in one volume is considerable. In the chapter on housing-led revitalisation, I was interested to see the continuing focus on inner urban areas: the Marais, central Bologna, Glasgow's Merchant City, and so on. In the UK, suburbs are becoming increasingly important as conserved districts. Although many are self-maintaining, owing to the wealth of their residents, it would be interesting to see the concepts of this book applied to the more run-down suburb conservation areas - - themselves, equally, 'historic urban quarters'. The last substantive chapter deals with the vexed question of design. After the critique of Modernism in chapter 3, it is a pity that this chapter is not explicitly structured as an assessment or critique of Post-modernism - for that, in essence, is what it is. Key issues of faqadism and historic integrity, contextual compatibility or novel juxtapositions are all discussed. This chapter, very relevantly, raises issues of the maintenance of the character or appearance of these quarters, and the need - - in some form - - to 'manage' change. Yet it also reveals the general lack, in the Westernised world at least, of any ethic or philosophy of urban conservation. In revitalising - - after all, the core message of this book - we are often faced with new development as "assertive, confident architecture which appeals more by bravado than cerebral considerations" (Edwards, cited on p 191). Perhaps, if we accept Ashworth's arguments about heritage planning, issues regarding authenticity are sterile and pointless. All of us inevitably perceive and re-make the past for our own purposes (cf. Lowenthal, 1985). But, in terms of public debate, the design of revitalised historic districts in the UK can probably be summed up in one word: 'bollards' - the unthinking use of pseudo-historical items purchased from the catalogues of nation-wide suppliers. In opening up the issues of revitalisation in general, exploring their relevance to a range of historic districts, and explicitly introducing important concepts of design and management, this book achieves a useful objective. Of course, the details of urban design
philosophy, aesthetic control, conservation ethics and so on can be pursued elsewhere. This book does, though, make the connections explicit and makes the reader want to search for that detail elsewhere! There are some unfortunate, but largely minor, errors and omissions in the volume: beginning with the omission of 'appearance' - - a vital characteristic - from the UK's definition of the conservation area on page 1. Most of these faults are incidental and do not unduly affect the value of the volume as a whole. In my opinion the authors would have benefited from more careful proof-reading; but, as I also know to my cost, the pressure to ensure that publications appeared before the UK government's Research Assessment Exercise deadline in March 1996 caused similar problems in a number of books, for which the authors cannot reasonably be held entirely responsible. This book is well and fluently written, being both informative and a good read. The illustrations are clearly reproduced, informative and appropriate. Relatively little of the information is absolutely new: the work of others, including URBED, has made us familiar with many of the UK case study districts. Nevertheless, their collation into one volume, their focus on the 'quarter' concept, their consideration under headings of different forms of regeneration, are all useful. As a reasonably priced paperback, this is ideal and welcome material for teaching across the fields of urban regeneration, conservation and design.
References Ashworth, GJ and Tunbridge, JE (1990) The Tourist-historic City, Belhaven, London. Lichfield, N (1988) Economics in Urban Conservation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Lowenthal, D (1985) The Past is a Foreign Country, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Peter J Larkham School of Planning University of Central England Birmingham B42 2SU, UK
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