1. Hist.Urban: INTERREG IIIB CADSES
10 key messages
10 key messages reflecting the demands and requirements for han-
dling the built-cultural heritage in small and medium-sized historic
towns for the urban rehabilitation and ecological revitalisation
1. Old is a beautiful value: The attractiveness of cities depends on their historical authenticity, es-
thetical quality and physical appearance. The built-cultural heritage as a common property supports
the identification and emotional orientation of the people in their urban environment. The protection
and development of this value is a requirement to all of us and an obligation to the next generation.
2. The urbanistic aim is to preserve and renovate the existing built-cultural heritage: Preserving
rehabilitating and renewing are the main objectives of a careful urban renewal: the rehabilitation of
the original is required, not the reproduction as imitation. In the course of the adaptation to the new
and modern requirements it is regarded to strengthen the role the built-cultural heritage as lively
“epicentre and political and cultural centre of the whole town.
3. The public sector plays a key role in the revitalisation of historic town areas: The public sec-
tor, responsible for public space and public housing, is the key-actor in the revitalisation process.
He encourages with public investments private owners to invest in their property and to remove de-
formity. He defines the level of quality and is engine of the process. The municipality has the duty
to set up priorities for the revitalisation in an integrated master and management plan. Investments
concern the administrative, cultural, social, educational as well as the ecological part of the urban
environment. Existing potentials (i.e. the redesign of streets and squares as pedestrian-friendly ar-
eas as well as of open and park spaces) have to be enhanced as well as important investments in
culture, education and tourism done.
4. Revitalisation needs the engagement and the active participation of citizens and public private
partnerships: To support the dialogue between public and private actors - in particular the owners –
different form of participation play an important role. Participation can strengthen the entire decisional
proceedings and the actions for the renewal of the historic centre. Participation allows the decision
makers to know about the needs of the citizens and the citizens can appreciate what has been ac-
complished. Among all the actors to be involved in the participation process one important key-group
are children, because they are the future users and “protectors” of the built-cultural heritage.
5. Sustainability and high quality are the main efforts in the renewal of the built cultural heri-
tage: Renewing the built cultural heritage is not a matter of codifying a specific state, but about the
steering, management and control of the continuous revitalisation process. The renewal should be
state-of-the-art in aesthetic, ecological and functional terms. Owners of new buildings should con-
sider a design charter as an assurance against greater mistakes for the environmental architecture.
Owners of historic buildings should consider a preservation charter as a protection of built values.
Monuments can be classified and listed as a historical monument (preservation order). These
measures are implements of maintaining the historic townscape. Both - sustainability and high
quality - have been pursued by using historical materials in renewal operations. This allows the
conservation of the true original structures and of the true original imagine.
6. To preserve the cultural identity it demands a mix/ diversity of functions and uses: The mix
of functions and living in historic centres represent the main structure of the future European his-
toric town. Without the mix of functions the historic centre becomes a quarter of periphery. The
quality of life of the European towns is tied to the “civitas” and not to the “urbs” alone.
7. The revitalisation of brownfields should be recognized and used as a resource: As a result of
political, economical, demographical and technological development individual areas of the city un-
dergo significant functional and structural changes. In the course of this urban renewal and con-
solidation exist potentials to compensate existing deficiencies (such as lack of open and green
spaces, parking lots, etc.) and to settle complementary uses. The management of this development
ought to take place via an integrated master plan, which aims at strengthening the city center.
1
Project part-financed by the European Union

2. Hist.Urban: INTERREG IIIB CADSES
10 key messages
8. The promotion of a sustainable traffic and transportation systems is an important element
for the ecological revitalisation: Traffic is an important activity with serious impact on city’s eco-
nomic development by meeting community’s need for mobility. But traffic is an important reason for
the degradation of the urban environmental, too, due to air pollution, level of noise and vibrations.
Towns need a strategy to design and manage transport and traffic under environmental and func-
tional aspects. The overall objectives are to unburden public space from moving traffic or parking
cars, to promote an environmental friendly mobility (i.e. use of public transport, bicycles, walking)
and to upgrade in urbanistic and functional terms “traffic junctions” as i.e. train and bus stations.
9. Revitalisation needs a permanent effort as well as mechanism and financial aid: Studies
show, that revitalisation of cities is a commercial program, which promotes commercial devel-
opment and safes and produces employment. This is the reason, why countries apply own pro-
grammes to promote the urban renewal, with which - in addition to the programmes of the EU - the
revitalization of designated areas in towns is encouraged. The development of mechanism and fi-
nancial aid is a need for the preservation of the heritage.
10. Cooperation structures and networks between historic towns are important to exchange
experiences and solutions: Despite varying framework conditions and starting situations the
towns of Europe are confronted with similar future challenges (differing in scope), sitting all in the
same boat to find solutions. Being competitive requires to look beyond one’s own nose, to oriented
themselves along European developments and cooperate in transnational networks. The coopera-
tion in networks will support the exchange of experience, the joint development of solutions and
learning of good practices.
2
Project part-financed by the European Union