Reverse Heritage management: A Dutch approach on how to stimulate private-public coöperation...
13 December 2011
Thanks to Edsard Kylstra, manager Utrecht, I was given the opportunity to contribute to the discussion in the Portico meeting as a so called external expert. This title concerns me a bit since I can only tell you how we as a company (the-missinglink) try to manage Heritage. I was asked to go into a Dutch method to organize cooperation between stakeholders in heritage and spatial development and stimulate interaction between private and public wishes. For me this is a discussion on setting goals and values in heritage management. A discussion on selecting and creating general ownership of Heritage that we as professionals already care for. Read more…
Valletta Treaty
The Netherlands have decided to implement the Valletta Treaty by integrating it in the existing spatial law system, zoning plans and building permits. This integration of archaeology in spatial planning creates tension between the academics and creators of spatial quality, taking into account that we have a so called “polluter pays “principle. The idea behind the law is that archaeology should be one of the providers of that quality. Preconditions for cooperation are however joint goals and products. How can this be achieved? In our spatial projects we take three steps to assure that Heritage is an integrated part of the decision making as the only solution to create general involvement. We call this method Reverse Heritage®-smart heritage.
First we reverse the working process. Instead of immediately executing the administrational protocol of steps to get a building permit, we sit down and try to define the goals and targets to be achieved at the end of the project Second, we do not define our goals in an academic professional vacuum. We enlarge the decision making perspective to all stakeholders involved in spatial development. In order to create responsibility and involvement. We put them all at the decision making table (eg, the heritage professional, the administration, politics, developer and user/civilian). With this group we set the heritage ambition in general and manage this to a more specific goal after the assessment field research.
Third, to come to a set of shared goals for all stakeholders it will be necessary to find an equal balance between the three elements of heritage management;
1. the production of knowledge
2. the long term physical protection of heritage find spots and finds
3. the utilization or commodification of knowledge in heritage
Before the implementation of the new law, the emphasis laid on academic knowledge production. Now we have two extra pieces of the pie to take into account. One may even argue that the opportunities for the utilisation or commodification of heritage in spatial developments, leisure industry or for educational purposes, should be an important selection criteria for field research.
Fourth, as professionals we have to help stakeholders to create utilisation goals. We do this by telling the story of the site and the area to be developed and transform this into the digital, virtual, and physical world. We create identity and image as a starting point for the marketing and branding of the area. We inspire developers and architects to transform the past into the future by using the history.
Fifth, It may be clear that using this method for defining a different heritage scope, has great impact on the control aspects of projects such as budget, finance, exploitation planning, information and quality management. There is more to do than just budgeting research and other goals for heritage and make sure the money is available for all these goals. Protection and especially utilisation should be paid out of the same budget and not afterwards, when the money is usually spent.
Nevertheless by using the Reverse Heritage method we aim to create identity in new spatial development. To use the words of the Spanish writer Louis Aragon: “I’ve made up the past again to see the beauty of the future”.
Drs. Boudewijn Goudswaard, Archaeologist and owner at The-missinglink, Utrecht