The fifth international cultural landscape conference (INCUL 2014) urban cultural landscape: past, present and future

摘要

The conference was held in the auditorium of Tehran's National Museum, organised by the Iranian Society of Landscape Architecture Professionals (ISLAP). There were 220 participants, with 50 from 18 countries outside Iran. Of more than 200 papers submitted, 84 were selected and only 18 gave an oral presentation, the rest were poster presentations. The talks focused on the definition and history of the use of the term 'cultural landscape' in the Western World, its adoption by UNESCO and IUCN and its use in Iran's world heritage sites and issues related to their listing and management. Iran's efforts were showcased. Bam was listed as Iran's first Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site in danger immediately after the earthquake in 2004, but was removed from the danger list in 2013 through effective management. Isfahan's Nakshe Jahan Square was in danger of being removed from the world heritage list because of a high rise building in the vicinity of the world heritage site, affecting its visual authenticity. The Persian garden has also been listed in World Heritage, in the cultural landscape category (2011). At the outset, the audience was reminded of the difficulties of preserving a historic cultural landscape in conformity with world best practices, when persuasive economic interests are pressing for change.