Preserving Places

[i]Tourism and conservation for a sustainable enhancement of historic centres[/i] November 13] 14, 2009 Rome Tourism in historic cities, in line with general trends in the tourism industry, is continuosly increasing and is specially favoured by a highly innovative European cultural sector. The negative impact of mass tourism on the conservation of cultural heritage and the impoverishment of central places with respect to traditional civic values is evident and had already been noted in the European Commissionfs Reports. However, planning and conservation policies in many historic cities continue to be fragmented and short sighted, as they mainly remain focussed on short term economic advantages of tourism. The aim of the conference is twofold. On the one hand to investigate the contemporary dilemma of how to increase tourism in historic centres while preserving place identities; on the other hand, to raise awareness among the principal players (such as local authorities, tour operators and citizens) of the risks to both the tangible and intangibile cultural heritage, thus promoting partecipation for positive action. To achieve these aims the conference proposes an interdisciplinary, comparative and international approach, dealing both with theoretical aspects and empirical case studies in an attempt to highlight solutions for a sustainable enhancement of historic centres. Visit the official site: http://www.preservingplaces.co.uk