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UTRECHT / DOMPLEIN / CHESTER / GENT / KOLN

Invitation

PORTICO CONFERENCE

Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Location: Gent, BELGIUM
Music Centre De Bijloke Gent/ STAM Gent City Museum
Jozef Kluyskensstraat 2, 9000 Gent, BELGIUM

PORTICO is a cooperative project of the cities of Chester (UK), Gent (BE), Köln (DE), Utrecht (NL) and the Initiatief Domplein foundation in Utrecht. It aims to visualize the partner cities' archaeological heritage by developing new methods, techniques and ways of thinking about urban development – above and below ground.

PROGRAM

09:00

Reception and registration

MORNING SESSION (Music Centre De Bijloke Gent)

09:30	Conference opening & presentation of the Portico project by
	Aldermen Lieven Decaluwé, Martine De Regge (both Ghent) and
	Introduction Interreg NWE programme by Joint Technical Secretariat
	Edsard Kylstra – PORTICO overall Project Leader

10:15	Keynote lecture by By Donovan D. RYPKEMA
	President of Heritage Strategies International (Washington D.C., USA) and author of "The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader’s Guide"
	Summary “The Multiple Contributions of Heritage Conservation”
	Heritage conservation – both above and below ground – has been advocated for its importance in understanding where we have come from. And that reason is as important as ever. But in recent years we have come to understand that heritage conservation is about the future of a city – its economy, its environment and its culture. Heritage conservation is about local jobs, small business incubation, center city revitalization. Heritage conservation is the ultimate in saving the environment – reduce, reuse, recycle. Heritage conservation is community differentiation, international competitiveness, quality of life. These broader contributions of heritage conservation will be examined with both quantitative and qualitative examples from around the world.

11:15	Reply lectures by
	DR. BRIAN SMITH, Secretary General of the European Association of Historic Towns and Regions (based in Norwich, UK), and Project Director of the Interreg IIIc network INHERIT
	Summary “Realising the Benefits of Investing in Heritage”
	The cities that give Europe its international identity, economic vitality and social cohesion - national capitals, regional centres or cultural hubs - are all in part places whose character derives from the urban quality of their historic urban landscapes. Historic cities are however facing unprecedented challenges that threaten their character and quality putting at risk the potential social, economic and environmental benefits that can be realised though investing in heritage.

	There has also been a lack of evidence to persuade some cities of the benefits of heritage led regeneration, a lack of information on lessons learned and a lack of practical guidance on how to deliver the benefits claimed. The paper will outline the findings of the EU funded INHERIT Project -‘Investing in Heritage – A Guide to Successful Regeneration’. This provides strategic advice, on how to be successful in securing heritage led regeneration. 4 key themes are identified which provide a framework within which heritage led regeneration can flourish and economic, social and cultural benefits can be realised.

	DR. MARNIX PIETERS, Archaeologist, Head of the Department Research Outreach and Heritage Experience at the Flemish Heritage Institute (VIOE) (Brussels, Belgium)
	Summary “One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure”
	This is the title of an exciting exhibition (Rotterdam and Williamsburg Virginia, 1996) about the lifecycle of European products in the totally different setting of the New World. Native Americans gave these products in the 17th century new functions and meanings. This process can in some way be compared with the new functions and meanings given to archaeological features studied and eventually preserved and exhibited from previous societies in the present-day world.

	In the past generally considered as a nuisance, archaeological remains are more and more considered as an asset notwithstanding the cost involved in taking care of them. Frequently indeed these remains consist of trash and trash-related structures. This changing attitude is a result of the changing approach by archaeologists which are more and more looking for meanings and less for the objects themselves. These meanings offer indeed a lot more opportunities for further use in education, lifelong learning, leisure activity, tourism, research, town planning, …
	This contribution will explore the specificity and the number of contributions to society from heritage conservation of archaeological remains.

12:00	Discussion

12:30	Lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION (STAM Gent City Museum/ University College Gent)

14:00	Simultaneous workshops: presentation of the preliminary results of the three “Communities of Practice” (STAM Gent City Museum):
	1) Archaeology friendly building techniques and preservation techniques.
	2) Digital storytelling as a tool for experiencing cultural heritage.
	Presentation by Eddie Westbroek (Tinker Imagineers).
	3) Archaeology minded spatial development.
	Presentation by Daniel Pletinckx (Visual Dimension).

15:45	Presentation of the “Student’s Challenge” (University College Gent - campus Bijloke).
	Multidisciplinary student teams set up by universities and university colleges in the PORTICO partner Cities will develop new business cases linked to PORTICO investments.

17:00	Guided visit to the brand new city museum STAM Reception.

17:30	Reception including conference summary and conference close.

PARTICIPATION
Please indicate at registration which part(s) of the conference you will attend.
0 Morning session
0 Lunch
0 Afternoon workshops (please indicate preference(s))
0 Archaeology friendly building and preservation techniques
0 Digital storytelling
0 Archaeology minded spatial development
0 Presentation Student’s Challenge
0 Guided visit in STAM
0 Reception

Registration
Stad Gent, Krist Poffyn, Botermarkt 1, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Tel: +32 9 266 82 48 Email: abis.centraleadministratie@gent.be

Information
Tel +32 9 266 82 25
Email: krist.poffyn@gent.be

Conference language is English. No interpretation service available.

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