Captain, where can we find the attributes?

Abstract

Every site that is listed as World Heritage comes with its own justification for inscription, explaining why this specific place is considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). This global cultural significance is to be described based on attributes, tangible or intangible, and their subsequent values. As suggested by the management approach indicated in the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, the management of such attributes and values should be integrated into a wider sustainable urban management framework. Though, how can they be properly included in such framework when most often, it is not clear where they are located exactly? In order to develop efficient management plans to manage cultural significance, a thorough understanding of what exactly reflects this outstanding universal value is required. The aim of this paper is, firstly to present the results of a research on systematically revealing and locating a selection of attributes of the Amsterdam Canal Zone, as described in the Nomination File (Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam) and the Advisory Body Evaluation (International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Canal Area of Amsterdam). Next, some recommendations will be provided on how they can be integrated in the local urban management framework.

Keywords:

• Amsterdam Canal Zone
• attributes and values
• historic urban landscape
• heritage management
• World Heritage

Notes

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² Pickard, “A Comparative Review”; Waterton, Smith, and Campbell, “The Utility of Discourse Analysis”.

³ Pickard, Policy and Law; Stubbs and Makas, Architectural Conservation.

⁴ UNESCO, Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape.

⁵ Pereira Roders, “How Can Urbanization Be Sustainable?”.

⁶ Veldpaus, Pereira Roders and Colenbrander, “Urban Heritage”.

⁷ Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam.

⁸ Veldpaus and Pereira Roders, “Learning from a Legacy”.

⁹ Damen et al., “Relating the State of Authenticity”.

¹⁰ Stash et al., “Creating Personalized City Tours”.

¹¹ Prak, The Dutch Republic.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Abrahamse, Noyon and Bakker, Old and New Building; Abrahamse, “The Big Issues of Amsterdam”.

¹⁴ Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam.

¹⁵ UNESCO, “Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam”.

¹⁷ Pereira Roders and van Oers, “OUV, WH Cities and Sustainability”.

¹⁸ Speckens, et al., “Outstanding Universal Value”.

¹⁹ Pereira Roders and Tarrafa da Silva, “Cultural Heritage Management”.

²⁰ Bruin and van den Berg, “Canal District Amsterdam World Heritage”.

²¹ UNESCO, “Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam”.

²² Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam.

²³ Boer, Stone Tablets of Amsterdam.

²⁴ Bruin and van den Berg, “Canal District Amsterdam World Heritage”.

²⁵ ICOMOS, Canal Area of Amsterdam.

²⁶ Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam.

²⁷ Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam.

²⁸ Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam.

²⁹ Boer, Stone Tablets of Amsterdam.

³⁰ Levie and Zantkuyl, Living in Amsterdam; Hart-Runeman, Vluggen-Bunders and Maase, Four Centuries of Herengracht.

³¹ Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam.

³² Abrahamse, “De grote uitleg van Amsterdam”.

³³ Swart and Claus, “Amsterdam Canal District”; Damen et al., “Relating the State of Authenticity”.

³⁴ Chauhan et al., “A New Approach”.

³⁵ Gemeente Amsterdam. 2014. http://maps.amsterdam.nl (accessed June, 2014).

³⁶ Veldpaus, Historic Urban Landscapes.

³⁷ Stash et al., “Creating Personalized City Tours”.

¹⁶ Abrahamse, Great Explanation of Amsterdam; ICOMOS, Canal Area of Amsterdam.