The document elaborates on the comprehensive nature of heritage, encompassing both tangible and intangible assets from history, culture, and natural environments that contribute to identity and community pride. It emphasizes the importance of integrating heritage conservation into urban planning and governance while fostering community involvement and sustainability. Additionally, it outlines strategies for safeguarding heritage and promoting economic development through public-private partnerships and global cooperation.

1. Understanding, Analysing and Appreciating the Genesis and
Context of Heritage in Human Living and Urban Development
*Jit Kumar Gupta
**jit.kumar1944@gmail.com
Understanding Heritage ;
 What one inherits from its ancestors at birth,
 Anything that has been transmitted from the past or handed down by tradition.
 Includes/involves, something much more than preserving, excavating, displaying,
or restoring a collection of old things
 Involves more than just tangible assets - physical buildings.
 Includes both tangible and intangible heritage resources
 Includes both historical, natural and cultural assets
 Includes/involves natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty
 Includes/involves, public assets, and private 'domestic' assets such as dance,
music, art, festivals, dresses, food, expressed through festivals, market fairs,
exhibitions, competitions, and other aspects of the local culture and religion
 Includes/involves, full range of our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and
culture. it is the range of contemporary activities, meanings, and behaviors that
we draw from them.
 Includes/involves, both tangible and intangible, in the sense that ideas and
memories--of songs, recipes, language, dances, and many other elements of who
we are and how we identify ourselves--are as important as historical buildings and
archaeological sites.
 Includes/involves, cultural heritage: monuments; architectural works, works of
monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological
nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of features, which are of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science
 Includes/involves; groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings
which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the
landscape, are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art
or science;
 Includes/involves, sites and works of man or the combined works of nature and
man, and areas including archaeological sites which are of outstanding universal
value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view .

2. ( Adopted by the General Conference, UNESCO at its 17TH
session Paris, 16
November, 1972)
 Includes/involves; natural features consisting of physical and biological formations
or groups of such formations, which are of outstanding universal value from the
aesthetic or scientific point of view; geological and physiographical formations and
precisely delineated areas which constitute the habitat of threatened species of
animals and plants of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science
or conservation.
 Heritage -includes and involves historical sites, buildings, and the un-spoilt natural
environment, considered collectively as the inheritance of present-day society.
 Heritage- includes and involves assets created in the past which form intrinsic
part of the current local cultural fabric.
2.Understanding Heritage Context;
Looking at the entire gamut, length, breadth and depth of the heritage and its numerous
connotations for humanity and community, heritage holds great relevance in terms of;
 Heritage- -gives distinct identity, character, recognition, makes value addition, and
provides a sense of pride to community, area- city, state & nation.
 Heritage- provides valuable information about culture, way of life, art &
architecture.
 Heritage- is an important component of the cultural identity of communities,
groups, and individuals
 Heritage -makes great learning about the art and science of planning and
designing buildings and cities
 Heritage- provides valuable reference point in local built landscape.
 Heritage -displays advance townscape qualities evolved over a period of time.
 Heritage- showcases methodologies and approach to promote sustainability and
efficient use of resources.
 Heritage- remains valuable possession of humanity/mankind crossing the
boundaries of communities, cities, states and nations.
 Heritage -though belongs to the past, but also links past with present and future.
 Heritage -reflect personality of a community/area
 Heritage - showcases past skill in town planning; art, architecture, construction,
way of living
 Heritage- promotes development, employment ,economy and eliminates poverty.
 Heritage - creates ownership of assets for present generations without having any
and role in its creation.
 Heritage- displays/showcases best of the past/ancestors
 Heritage -helps in building critical urban identity
 Heritage -helps in creating sense of pride among its residents, embedding a
sense of belonging.

3.  Heritage—includes and involves active public discussion about material and of
individuals, groups, communities, and nations- which remains a valuable facet of
public life in our multicultural world.
 Heritage- is a contemporary activity with far-reaching effects.
 Heritage - can be an element of far-sighted urban and regional planning.
 Heritage- can be the platform for political recognition, a medium for intercultural
dialogue, a means of ethical reflection, and the potential basis for local economic
development.
 Heritage - invariably holds local and global context.
 Heritage- remains an essential part of the present we live in and -of the future we
propose to build.
 Heritage- its loss, destruction and decay of impoverishes communities, societies,
nations and humanity.
 Heritage- including its valuation, preservation , protection and conservation
remains the agenda for all human beings and nations.
 Heritage - holds intrinsic value for the present and future generations.
 Heritage- helps revitalizing local economies,
 Heritage- leads to well-being and security, through broad community participation
and involvement.
 Heritage -generates large opportunities for job creation and poverty alleviation
 Heritage- goes beyond just resorting and preserving historical assets,
 Heritage -. Considering challenges posed by rapid urbanization, disasters
caused by natural/ manmade hazards / impacts of climate change; heritage helps
in achieving sustainable Development Goals
 Heritage-focus remains on risk preparedness for protecting our past for future--
building resilience using traditional knowledge gained.
 Heritage- known to builders of nations and communities.
 Heritage- is known for its capacity, potential and value to promote literacy, build
institutions, skilling communities and bringing prosperity to communities and
nations.
 Heritage- permits intermixing of the culture and values, across communities and
nations creating a plural society ,which helps in promoting better understanding
among nations across manmade borders.
 Heritage- is known to be the best option for promoting better understanding among
nations and ushering an era of global peace and prosperity.
3 Safeguarding Heritage;
. Conservation of the historic urban environment poses specific and urgent challenges
that require a multidisciplinary approach, in view of the above, approach to

4. safeguarding heritage must include, involve and revolve around an agenda defined
below;
 Heritage conservation must be made integral part of human settlement planning
and development including preparing , Regional Plans, Master/ Development
Plans/Zonal Plans/Local Area Plans.
 Heritage conservation should invariable be made integral part of legal framework
governing urban and rural planning in the state /local level.
 All local bye-laws, zoning regulations must involve and include heritage
conservation and preservation as an important element of such bye-laws.
 Heritage conservation must be made public-led movement/mission in order to
involve communities and their resources.
 Dedicated resources in the budget of all institutions in the agencies involved in the
urban and rural planning, governance, development and management must be
made.
 All local agencies must create dedicated centres for identifying, preserving,
promoting and safeguarding the local heritage.
 All states must be mandated to come out with a state policy dedicated to heritage
management.
 National policy of monument preservation and conservation must be reviewed,
revised and redefined to include all typologies heritage existing in the country.
 Dispensing with the existing policies and programs launched by local and national
governments for preserving 'heritage' dealing almost exclusively with physical
assets, such as historical sites and buildings - Palaces, temples, churches,
mosques, tombs, and similar sites, ignoring other categories – and making it broad
based to include entire domain of heritage- natural and manmade.
 All professional institutions involved in the higher learning must be mandated to
start dedicated courses in heritage conservation, in order to create adequately
trained manpower in the domain of heritage conservation and management.
 Involving professional institutions including Institute of Architects; Institute of
Engineers; Institute of Town Planners; Institute of Landscape Architects; Institute
of Urban Designers etc. besides institutions like INTACH etc.
 All major cities and towns including development agencies should create a
dedicated cadre of heritage conservation and preservation.
 Heritage- should be invariably made, the subject of active public reflection,
debate, and discussion
 Leveraging the process of globalization process across nations , effectively and
efficiently, for giving boost to dissemination of knowledge, promoting
understanding about the need for preserving both tangible and intangible heritage
assets.

5.  Bringing heritage and sustainability on the same platform and integrating them
has been known to be best option for promoting safety of heritage.
 Heritage conservation strategies should invariably include and involve issues
and options related, not only to cultural and historical, but to ecological and natural
assets of the locality.
 Heritage requires/needs conservation & preservation - carefully and thoughtfully.
 “Strengthen efforts to protect/ safeguard world’s cultural and natural heritage, is
the agenda defined by the SDGs Target 11.4.
 Heritage concept -- changed during last few decades; Protection not restricted
to preservation but continuity of past into future.
 Pitting heritage conservation not against development, but making it integral part
of sustainable development.
 Evolving appropriate strategies and options for making heritage safe against both
natural and manmade disasters including problems of landslide, flooding,
earthquake, cyclone, conflicts, riots etc.
 Involving multiple actors from across the public, private, and non-governmental
sectors,
 Actively involving all stakeholders not only in initiating and carrying out
conservation but also to sustain the heritage place after the intervention is made
and completed.
 Heritage Conservation strategies/actions must be embedded and made integral
part of economic, social, and environmental development strategies.
 Promoting dedicated public-private partnerships for achieving sustainability in
conservation.
 Promoting research in the domain of heritage conservation, preservation and
management remains critical for promoting safety and security of valuable
heritage.
4. Way Forward;
Options and strategies available for preserving and conserving heritage, in a holistic
manner, must involve and revolve around;
 Eliminating all silos created by vertical demarcation of natural, cultural and
historical heritage assets between different numerous departments and
agencies, and promoting , coordination / integration, both horizontal and vertical,
among all silos created at local/state /national levels.
 Making optimum use of the process of globalization and liberalization of
economies for incentivizing the preservation of both tangible and intangible
heritage assets, by promoting 'global' culture, making value addition to heritage

6. assets, promoting increased access to relevant local information and creating
large opportunities for tourism, employment, trade and commerce and industry.
 Linking and integrating heritage with sustainability by embedding sustainability as
the eventual goal in heritage conservation strategies; and promoting cultural,
historical, ecological and natural assets, both cumulatively and exclusively, are
known to provide value addition to the process of heritage conservation, taking
into account, the long term sustainability goals of the region
 Making heritage conservation involve, revolve around and focus on
building/creating strong urban identity and pride for the cities and towns housing
heritage by involving communities and local institutions.
 Making heritage conservation larger than local history by including,
encompassing and incorporating all aspects of a region's heritage - historical,
natural and cultural.
 Making heritage conservation community centric and participative by involving
communities and making them participate in all aspects of heritage identification,
planning, development, preservation, conservation and implementation.
 Good Heritage conservation strategies must focus on promoting well-being of
communities and ensuring human security of all the people inhabiting the heritage
areas.
 Making entire process of heritage conservation focus on and leverage job creation
;poverty alleviation and linking to the local economy; particularly in developing
countries.