Pali WIJERATNE
(Environmental Planning Services (Pvt.) Ltd, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka)
Keywords:
Abstract:
The subject of Urban Archaeology and Heritage Sites in urban areas are under constant threat because of the true value of such sites are not appreciated by the spatial planners when development plans are being prepared. In a conservation world, spatial planners are mostly a forgotten breed of professionals. At the same time, in a conservation world, the experts show little appreciation to the work of a planner in trying to balance the challenges faced with the high demand for new developments as against the will and the need to preserve the authenticity of the cultural site. Planners should appreciate Heritage values of sites and proper documentation of these sites should be conducted either during the planning stages or preferably before. In this instance, the documentation should not only include the study of the site itself but also the alternative uses of the site / monument. As much as archaeologists and conservators work on a site from the early stages, spatial planners should also be called upon to provide their inputs in to the uses of not only the site but also the buffer zone around it. Thus it is worth spending some time in discussing the way to move in this field of creating an awareness of the three professionals – Archaeologists, Conservators and Planners – could work together for the betterment of heritage sites. Documentation of sites by with inputs from the three professionals could bring about a new dimension to documentation of heritage sites in urban areas. Another aspect to look in to in the same session would be to create an awareness of the roles of the three professionals and their interdependence on each other during the management and implementation of documented strategies in a sustainable methodology. The training programmes for the three professional groups should include an appreciation of each other’s roles in preliminary documentation as well as implementation of strategies documented in the Development Plans where urban archaeology and other heritage sites are concerned.