IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section A

Abstract

Throughout the world, the application of preservation policies is continuously being questioned by governments, and societies. Through historic preservation, buildings, neighborhoods and cities acquire a static physicality that evokes an ideal past, and it is this past that is challenged, contradicted, and manipulated by different actors to achieve what Harvey (2002) calls ‘monopoly rent’. Heritage is thus an articulation of times (past, present and future) and memories (organic and historic memories) (Choay 2009), that is often exploited as a symbolic resource to the struggles for recognition of legitimacy, cultural identity, and equity (Smith 2021). The challenges in reconciling historic preservation and urban growth can be seen in neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights in New York, where different cultures and social-economic realities exist in a conflictual relationship with its historic district. Its representational space, the space where its inhabitants live, collides with its representation space, the landmarked historic district (Lefebvre 1991). While the designation of historic districts in New York calls for the preservation of historic assets, it has been often used as a tool in neighborhood revitalization, helping increase property values, gentrification and displacement of lower income residents. As historic districts’ significance is tied to their sense of place, and if places are a source of memory and history, it is important to acknowledge the different histories that are part of these urban spaces. In fact, maintaining the communities that are part of these neighborhoods is essential to preserving the attributes that make them historically significant.