A Comparative Article Analysis Paper

Submitted in Conformity with the Requirements for the course

SSM 103 – GEOGRAPHY 3: URBAN GEOGRAPHY
Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Social Studies
Midterm, Academic Year: 2019 – 2020

Name : CURA, RICCA G.

Section : SOCIAL STUDIES 2A
Course Code : SSM 103

“The Role of Urban Park for the Sustainable of Cities.

Planning for Urban Heritage Places: Reconciling Conservation, Tourism, and Sustainable
Development”

Technological advance, including writing, beyond the folk society was a necessary

condition for cities to take root. But it was not sufficient. Two additional considerations came into

play. One was the ability to collect, store, and distribute the agricultural surplus, with all the social

organization that implied. The second was a favorable environment in the form of fertile soil for

growing crops and a water supply capable of supporting the needs of both agriculture and urban

consumption. These are the conditions that describe the river valleys in which the world's earliest

cities arose. In early farming societies, improved farming methods and a reliable food supply led

to permanent settlements. Surplus food not only caused an increase in population. Freed from

the all-consuming quest for food, laborers could begin to specialize in activities such as metal-

working and weaving, and some jobs became more important than others. A social hierarchy took

shape. Writing enabled administrative record keeping and, later, literature.

The 21st century is seeing an incredible power shift and power dynamic with the rise of

cities as socioeconomic and political actors on national and world stages. Around the world,

municipal orders of government are typically the smallest order of government, often depending

on another order of government for revenue or growth. However, as more and more of us now

live in cities, cities are facing increasing pressures and challenges that need to be addressed.

According to the United Nations, more than 54 percent of the world’s population now lives in urban

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centers, a number that is projected to grow to 67 percent by 2050. As urban centers grow, they

also become important economic drivers. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that currently

the top 100 cities in the world are responsible for 38 percent of total global gross domestic product

(GDP), and that the top 600, where a fifth of the world’s population resides, generate 60 percent

of global GDP. Because of the population growth and the arise of the cities problems and

challenges are also visible such us climate change where in one of the global issue that we are

now facing, population growth because of the migration of people from the rural areas to the urban

areas to seek job and opportunities.

Urban area is the region surrounding a city. Most inhabitants of urban areas have

nonagricultural jobs. Urban areas are very developed, meaning there is a density of human

structures such as houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges, and railways. "Urban area" can

refer to towns, cities, and suburbs. Because of the urbanization, the advancement of the cities

and technologies risen, and the essence of agricultural land is gradually disappearing. There is a

positive and negative impact of urbanization. One of the positive impacts of urbanization is the

opportunity for the people but at the same time population growth is one of the negative impact

or urbanization. Also, because of using the land masses especially the agricultural land used for

urbanizing the cities our ecosystem is one of the most affected and habitants of the animals also.

So, we need to apply the SDG’s or the Sustainable Development Goals. The goals and targets

are universal, meaning they apply to all countries around the world, not just poor countries.

Reaching the goals requires action on all fronts – governments, businesses, civil society and

people everywhere all have a role to play. These goals are development that meets the needs

of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

needs. In addition, we can use the areas to develop the cities, but we can conserve the

land area without affecting the environments.

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 The role of Urban Park for the Sustainable of Cities

Urban-dwelling individuals who seek out parks and gardens appear to intuitively

understand the personal health and well-being benefits arising from ‘contact with nature’, public

health strategies are yet to maximize the untapped resource nature provides, including the

benefits of nature contact as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations.

(Maller,2005)

Nowadays the presence of natural areas in urban context are now becoming in demand

and quietly essential .

The authors thesis , highlighted the importance of natural areas in urban domain. Urban

parks defines as (definition ) which is very important for the quality of human life and sustainability

of cities itself. Author also added that the experienced of nature in the urban environment is a

source of positive feeling s and beneficial services, which fulfill important immaterial needs. These

benefits are believed to improved the health and wellbeing of individuals, and consequently- the

sustainability of the community at large.

Also we need to consider these Signiant effects of natural parks in environmental services

such as ; air and water purification, wind and noise filtering ,and micro-climate stabilization, natural

areas provide social and psychological services which are crucial signifies for the livability of

modern cities and wellbeing of urban dwellers.

The research has been focused on urban nature ,close to where people live and work.

Public perceptions and attitudes have been explored among visitors of urban parks in the

European cities: Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Paris (France) and Seville. And here are the

major assumptions of the author; motives for nature, the emotional dimension of the experience

of nature, the perceived benefits of experiencing nature .

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 Motives for nature ,was the first assumption of the author, wherein people’s motives to

visit nature. One of the factor to consider in these assumptions was the Being Away . According

to (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989), the sense of “Being Away “ as state involving distancing oneself to

distractions or from ones day to day work. The four variables under this factor are ”To get realistic

inspiration”, “To contemplate and mediate , ”To listen and observe nature ” and “To relax”. This

dimension also contains a spiritual component reflecting the need to reach higher state of mind,

to elevate the soul and the mind beyond the daily thoughts , and to invest inner energy in creativity

and inspiration.

Amenity, another fac tor of these assumptions, it was referring to the need for urban

dwellers to take a break from the stressful routine of daily life and to engage in activities out the

side the physical barriers of the city. These motives reflect the need to divagate from the monotony

and to amuse.

The emotional dimensions of the experience of nature follows another assumption of the

author. Respectively explore the emotional dimensions of the experience of nature based

experiences, and its relation with human wellbeing who goes to the urban parks or natural parks.

And last assumptions was the perceived benefits of experiencing nature , which focuses

to understand the benefits of the people who perceived through the direct experience of nature.

Restroactive benefit of experiencing nature is expected to have a positive relation with human

mental health. The restroactive function of nature might play a crucial role against the increasing

diffusion of stress-related syndromes.

Also under he perceived benefits of experiencing nature was the Spirituality. Under this

component , nature percieved as a majestic energy giving sense to life, and which enriches it and

makes it fully worthy to be lived. People feel part of a bigger whole and in harmony with it.

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 That fostered the major assumptions of the author , which focused o the public

appreciation of urban nature or urban park,that constitute various positive benefits among people

who lived at that places , enabling this urban nature plays a vital role on sustainability of the city

as a whole.

Planning for Urban Heritage Places: Reconciling Conservation, Tourism, and

Sustainable Development

Globalising forces inherent in the shift from production to consumption are influencing

changes in the built environment and in their local cultures. This is most acute in places of heritage

value where the local culture with its built heritage is being transformed into a product for tourist

consumption. The global scale of tourism and its accrued uniformity are increasingly evident,

particularly the proliferation of standardised hotel architecture, restaurant chains, and street

furniture.

Similarly, local cultures are losing their local identities as global “cultural industries”

dominate (Oncu and Weyland 1997). With the emergence of a greater number of destinations

competing for unique tourist experiences, traditional historic places are undergoing a redefinition

and reinterpretation of their cultural heritage in order to be competitive and attractive. By doing

this, however, heritage places are responding to the commercial forces of consumer demand,

and in many cases conservation and cultural values are being compromised. It presents the idea

of sustainability as an overarching framework for managing tourism in heritage places based on

the balance between sociocultural needs, economic gain, and the protection of the heritage

resource.

Within the context of planning in historic environments, a dichotomy exists between

preserving the past for its intrinsic value and the need for development in response to changing

societal values.

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 A conflict between the preservation of the character of existing historic towns and “change”

has formed the central argument for conservation. More recently, heritage has superseded

conservation, where marketing of heritage as a product according to the demands of the

consumer, mainly tourists, has resulted in the commercialization of heritage over conservation

values. Today, the symbiosis of both tourism and heritage places has become a major objective

in the management and planning of historic areas. The thesis of the author focusses on the

examining of the current conflicts among the ideas of conservation, heritage, and tourism and

argues for a sustainable approach to the management and planning of heritage places based on

a community and culture-led agenda.

Various concepts associated with heritage places that should be considered in any

sustainable planning for these areas. Here are the following major arguments or assumptions of

the author. The first was discusses building preservation and conservation in which the primary

concern is protecting the built and cultural heritage. The second one is, nature of heritage tourism

in which commercial gain has created an imbalance in conservation and cultural values. The third

and final concept is that of sustainable tourism that argues for an alternative tourism that will

contribute to both conservation and development objectives, as well as safeguard social equity

and cultural values.

Selection The “spirit of place” or genius loci has introduced concepts of unity and diversity

that have influenced the selection of conservation-worthy areas and even planning policies; all

urban landscapes contain elements of both variables. Some are highly uniform where diversity

may be confined to minor details and embellishments. Other areas are highly diverse—for

example, in architectural styles and materials—but may retain some uniformity in, for example,

plot widths and story heights (Larkham 1996). Conzen’s (1966) morphogenetic approach to

townscape management follows the belief that new buildings introduced into areas protected for

their architectural or historical significance should respect the character of the existing built form.

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In his book, The Character of Towns, Worskett (1969) advocates that the townscape be used as

a guide to the design and siting of new development, so the townscape becomes the link between

preservation and change. He argues that although individual buildings contribute to the overall

quality and character of a town, they cannot be considered the only constituent part of that

character, nor necessarily the most important part. Visually, most towns derive their identity and

personality from the way in which individual buildings, both good and not so good, together create

a general atmosphere and build up a recognisable local townscape.

Restriction and Expansion Legislation has been used to embody the outcomes of the

selection process, putting conservation area allocations in place and creating building listings.

The process of identification, delimiting, and designation differs from country to country.

Nevertheless, the siting of the conservation area in relation to other areas of the town will have

established the area’s physical and social importance. Worskett (1969) defines the term

conservation area as follows: It must be taken to mean an area in which preservation will be a

principal planning aim but in which some change, although small in scale, must nevertheless take

place. The listing of buildings is also determined by their special historical or architectural interest.

Listing adds an administrative layer of protection to a building, so that change is controlled. (P.

48) However, there are critics who question the amount of protection that conservation area

designation or the listing of a building offer. Bourne (1967) highlighted the idea that it is the age

of the building stock, coupled with changes in function and economic influence through time, that

leads to change in the urban landscape. Structural and functional obsolescence are depicted as

a natural process of decline that lowers the effectiveness of the building.

Efficient Use and Economic Viability Another aspect of prolonging the life span of

conserved buildings is that of adaptive reuse. To be effective, theorists argue that conservation

must be based on efficient use and economic viability. These two qualities are interdependent;

the economic viability of a building depends on the use to which it can be put. For a building to

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function efficiently, it must not only be convenient to use but also capable of use at reasonable

cost.

Fundamental direct and indirect economic forces are at work. The former makes apparent

that adaptive reuse of buildings is more economic not only in general terms (e.g., the conservation

of energy represented by the built environment) but absolutely (i.e., relative costs of old and new

built space). Rehabilitating, instead of demolishing sound but decayed structures, generally offers

a more economically and socially less disruptive means of renewing cities (Fitch 1982). The

conservation ideal is for the original building use to persist, but it is more likely that use will change

over time. The more robust the building type, the less impact that changing land uses will have

on the fabric.

Nevertheless, the other side to the argument is that whatever the environment, a building

will remain empty unless there is a demand for a structure of that type. Efficient use of a building

requires either a ready-made demand or a new demand that should be created for it (Worskett

1969). THE SHIFT TO THE HERITAGE APPROACH Heritage is the most modern phase of

conservation. It is the concept that provides “the link between the preservation of the past for its

intrinsic value, and as a resource for the modern community as a commercial activity” (Ashworth

and Tunbridge 1990, 24).

In some cases, this approach has been referred to as “exploitation” where “there is an

apparent shift to a market orientation that focuses upon the relics of history as a product, selected

according to criteria of consumer demand and managed through the intervention in the market”

(Ashworth and Larkham 1994, 16). On the other hand, preservation and conservation have no

such direct implication and focus on the artefact or area itself. This distinction has consequences

in the approaches to historic city management. Ashworth (1992) argues that heritage is the

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product of a “commodification” process in which selection is central: heritage conservation is

creation and not preservation of what already exists.

The nature of the final product (as heritage) is not determined by the resources

endowment, nor can it reflect any supposedly accurate factual record of the past. Schouten (1995)

adds that heritage is a product and, as a product, it is subject to difference in validation and

interpretation as the historical process itself. Heritage changes over time in the way it is presented

and also in the ways in which the public reacts to its presentation. Hence, there is a tendency to

change the past to suit changing requirements; relics can be adapted, added to, copied, and

interpreted, all of which idealize the past. Since heritage cannot logically exist without a consumer,

then, in effect, the consumer defines heritage. Then, the perceived problem of authenticity is

largely irrelevant in heritage planning, because the consumer authenticates the resource.

Wilsmore (1994) discusses the credibility and importance of authenticity in heritage:

Sustainable development is positive socioeconomic change that does not undermine the

ecological and social systems upon which community and society are dependent. Its successful

implementation requires integrated planning, and social learning processes; its political viability

depends on the full support of the people it affects through their governments, their social

institutions, and their private activities

The two articles are breakdown and schemed which discuss their separate main thesis

and major assumptions. In this part their similarities and difference will discuss. Their common

ground falls under the term sustainable development, even though they have different discipline

they interconnected on their goal for sustainability.

In the other hand the first article focused at exploring public appreciation of urban nature,

which shows the relation of nature and human mental health in more systematic way. Alternative

valuation methods have to be developed to assess the socioeconomic values of the social and

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psychological functions of nature, so that they can be better accounted for in policy decisions and

urban planning strategies. Democratic and deliberative processes have to be fostered where

socially shared values and needs can be articulated and serve as reference criteria for sustainable

development goals.

In the contrary the other article focuses on tourism which can have positive attributes for

conservation and development in heritage places. For planners, the principal goal is to create a

strategy for minimizing the adverse impacts and maximizing gains from tourism. This would have

to include the management of the cultural resource and the quality of new development, the uses

and activities the built environment sustains, and the integration of both these factors with the

sociocultural needs of the local community.

Perhaps that was their similarities and differences of the two articles. Sustainable

development is largely about people, their well-being, and equity in their relationships with each

other, in a context where we are the most responsible of all this thing.

REFERENCES

Ashworth, Gregory J. 1995. Environmental quality and tourism and the environment. In

Sustainable tourism development, H. Coccossis and P. Nijikamp, eds. Aldershot, UK: Avebury.

Europe: The need, the task, the contribution. In Building a new heritage: Tourism, culture

and identity, G. J. Ashworth and P. J. Larkham,

Ashworth, Gregory J., and J. E. Tunbridge. 1990. The tourist-historic city. London: Belhaven.

Campbell, Scott. 1996. Green cities, growing cities, just cities? Urban planning and the

contradictions of sustainable development. Journal of the American Planning Association 62, 3:

296-312.

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 Conway, H. Parks and People: the social functions. In: Woudstra, J and Fieldhouse, K.

Eds. The regeneration of public parks. 2000

Coley, R., Kuo, F., and Sullivan, W. Where does community grow? The

social context created by nature in urban public housing. J. of

Angyal, A. Foundations for a science of personality. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Univ. Press,

1941

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