Constructing Cultural Significance: Advocating for Urban Conservation

This lecture will look at approaches to conservation in the post-colonial cities of South Asia. While the lecture will focus on Mumbai, the structure and themes will resonate with other mega cities where meanings are fluid and the city itself in massive flux, not only in terms of its physical form but also its urban culture. This is often complicated in post-colonial conditions by the fact that the creators and custodians of historic environments in these cities are from different cultures. Thus, their relationship to the built environment and its conservation differs. How do we read cultural significance in this post-colonial condition? In this dynamic context, if the production or preservation of architecture or urban form has to be informed by a specific reading of cultural significance, it will necessarily have to include the notion of “constructing significance.” That is engage with a process by which use, association and significance are constructed and invented carefully in order to make these historic environments useful, and in the process conserved for the future. In fact, an understanding that “cultural significance” evolves in this way will challenge as well as clarify the role of the architect and planner as an advocate of change, versus preservationists who oppose change.

Required Readings

Guzder, Cyrus. (2004). ‘Conservation Legislation in Mumbai – Has it worked? And what next?’, in Abha Narian Lambah, Rahul Mehrotra (eds.), Conservation after Legislation: Issues for Mumbai (Mumbai: Urban Design Research Institute), pp. 18 - 30. LINK
Orbasli, Aylin. (2004). ‘Heritage Tourism and the City’, in Abha Narian Lambah, Rahul Mehrotra (eds.), Conservation after Legislation: Issues for Mumbai (Mumbai: Urban Design Research Institute), pp. 114 - 123. LINK
Tomlan, Michael A. (2004). ‘More Carrots – Financing Conservation’, in Abha Narian Lambah, Rahul Mehrotra (eds.), Conservation after Legislation: Issues for Mumbai (Mumbai: Urban Design Research Institute), pp. 94 – 103 LINK
Mehrotra, Rahul. (2004). ‘Constructing Cultural Significance: Looking at Bombay’s Historic Fort Area’, in Future Anterior, Volume 1, Number 2, Fall 2004, (Article), (New York: Historic Preservation Program, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University), pp. 24 - 31 LINK
Kathpalia, Nayana, Lambah, Abha Narain. (2004). ‘Characteristics of a Heritage Precinct’, Heritage buildings & precincts, Mumbai: a conservation manual for owners & occupiers, (Mumbai: Urban Design Research Institute), pp 18 – 33 LINK