| abstract | The impact of industrialization is widely accepted to have profound social, economic and environmental effects. Industrialisation, and the urbanisation that accompanies it, has been the largest single driver of change in the human habitat and continues to be so – notably in Brazil, India and China.
Today, the effects of de-industrialisation are arguably more significant. The social, economic and landscape implications of industrial change or decline offer some of the biggest challenges facing post-industrial societies as they contemplate a future without the drivers that for three or four generations formed the root of their prosperity. These areas are typified by low per-capita income, high levels of social deprivation and lack of investment.
Many of these landscapes have a rich physical and social heritage but, typically, lack the resources to invest in regeneration. External intervention is invariably needed, raising questions about the ownership of change.
Heritage-led regeneration can be a crucial element in restoring the fortunes of these areas. Its benefits can be widespread; in sustaining the personality of place, in crystallizing local identity, creating confidence, self-esteem
and social cohesion, or in tourism. As societal value is increasingly recognized, translating what are often seen as liabilities into assets enables a wider recalibration of the benefits communities and developers see in the historic environment - from obstacle to opportunity.
Using a wide range of international examples this address will explore the way in which a new view of the built heritage is emerging, from urban liability to regeneration asset. |