RECAPTURING ERASED HISTORIES: ETHNICITY, DESIGN, AND CULTURAL REPRESENTATION―A CASE STUDY OF INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

摘要

This article provides clear evidence of how planning and design practices of historic preservation can disrupt a local community's sense of place attachment and disturb expressions of cultural identity for local, ethnic populations. New ethnic and immigrant groups can be excluded because of a lack of sensitivity to cultural barriers such as an inability to read or speak English, non-verbal cues of formal furnishings and dress, as well as signs of cultural representation. The ethnographic study of Independence Historical National Park presents an example of the kind of research that can be undertaken to recover histories that have been changed and/or erased during earlier historical preservation or urban renewal projects. We conclude that cultural representation in urban parks is fundamental to their use and maintenance by local groups. Understanding the intimate relationship between ethnic histories, cultural representation, and park use is critical to successful design and planning in any culturally diverse context.