Sustainable urban regeneration of historic city centres: lessons learnt

Abstract

Cities are society’s centres of human interaction, creativity, knowledge, diversity, culture,
\ncommerce and economic creativity. The accretion of several layers of history tends to reveal a
\ngreat deal about the city's past, present and even future. Historic city centres are usually endowed
\nwith a multitude of historic buildings, heritage sites and the like. However, it is also these historical
\ncentres that are most prone to the undesirable and consequential effects of growth and rapid
\ntechnological advancement, where a range of environmental and developmental challenges find
\ntheir crude expression. The rehabilitation and conservation of historic city centres serves as a
\nfundamental catalyst for change. Furthermore, urban regeneration of historical city centres also
\npromotes social interaction between inhabitants of the city, and the adoption of its urban spaces
\nencourages public activity. This paper scrutinizes the city centre of two historical cities which are
\nBarcelona, Spain and Istanbul, Turkey. Successful aspects of their ecological performance are
\nhighlighted. The two downtown areas discussed in this paper represent the downtown of two
\nMediterranean cities, and both are distinguished historical cities who have contextual similarities.
\nThe historical city centres of these Mediterranean cities have undergone variety of projects and
\nstrategic plans for urban regeneration, development and beautification. Moreover, various attempts
\nhave been made for the improvement of their environmental quality and ecological performance.
\nThis is through increases in urban green spaces and public parks, increased dependence on
\nrenewable energy technologies (RETs) and adopting sustainable transportation modes as opposed
\nto undesirable and harmful vehicular transport. In essence, many urban regeneration plans have
\nbeen aimed at conserving and preserving buildings and sites that are considered symbolic of the
\ntwo cities heritage and legacy. Concomitantly, the paper presents a review of sustainability issues
\nrelated to these two city centres and analyses the strategies that have been used through various
\nurban regeneration projects and development plans. The paper particularly focuses on
\ninvestigating the strategic plans and attempts that have been made at urban regeneration level by
\nthe Barcelona City Council and the Greater Municipality of Istanbul for the revitalization of their
\ncore areas.