Tensions between Urban Heritage Policy and Compact City Planning – A Practice Review

ABSTRACT

The ‘compact city’ is generally considered to represent a sustainable urban form. However, transformation of urban sites as consequence of compact city planning potentially conflicts with heritage interests. A reading of a selection of scientific articles in land-use and heritage journals, supplemented with thematic plans, indicates that there is a need to bridge the gap between urban heritage policy and planning for the compact city. When challenged by strong pro-development partners to present convincing alternative perspectives, specialised heritage competence would benefit from skills within land-use planning and vice versa. Disciplinary and sectorial barriers need to be crossed.

KEYWORDS:

• Compact city
• cultural heritage
• densification
• urban planning
• heritage impacts
• environmental context

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Norges Forskningsråd [160010/F40].