Resolutions of the International Symposium
on the conservation of smaller historic towns,
at the 4th ICOMOS General Assembly.
1. The general principles set forth in the Bruges Resolutions (1975)
can be applied more or less universally to the conservation of smaller
historic towns; the implementation of these resolutions must however take
into account the specific social, economic and political problems of the
different regions of the world.
Smaller historic towns can be classified into different types which are
characterized by problems in common and by specific features which vary,
among other things according to their size, cultural context and economic
function. Measures adopted to revitalize and rehabilitate such towns must
respect the rights, customs and aspirations of their inhabitants and must
be responsive to communal aims and objectives. Consequently, as regards
both strategy and tactics, each case must be judged on its own merits.
2. Often, in industrialised countries, the smaller historic town was
formerly an important centre which was bypassed by the wave of 19th century
industrialisation and urban growth. As a rule, such towns' economic role is
as the centre of an agricultural area which gives them characteristics
which distinguish them from larger cities:
- the smaller town has not yet expanded beyond its historic core
(which is still visually dominant) and has sometimes kept its walls,
- the town's historic core still marks the centre of social life and
business and contains a large proportion of residences,
- the surrounding landscape is still very largely unspoilt and is an
integral part of the image of the town,
- in many cases there is still a balanced and diversified community
structure in terms of population and employment: very few smaller
historic towns are economic monostructures depending on
mass-production processes.
3. Such smaller towns are subject to specific dangers of various sorts:
- they may suffer from a lack of economic activity leading to the
emigration of their populations to larger centres and the resultant
abandonment and decay.
- even when the population is numerically stable, there may still be a
tendency, due to traffic and other inconveniences, for the
inhabitants, to move to modern quarters on the fringes of the town,
leading to dereliction of the historic town centre.
- on the other hand, too much economic activity may cause disruption of
the old structure and the insertion of new elements which upset the
harmony of the urban environment.
- measures to adapt the town to modern activities and uses may have
similar effects. For example, tourism, which can be a legitimate
means to economic revitalization, can also have a negative impact on
the appearance and structure of the town.
- the increasing unit size of the social infrastructure such as schools
and hospitals tends to destroy the scale of the town and to reduce
the level of its services.
4. In the countries of the developing world, the rapid expansion of
population and the accelerating influx of people to the towns threaten to
destroy the existing settlement structure. The national and cultural
identity of these countries will be irremediably impoverished if the
surviving links with their past are allowed to atrophy. None of these links
is of greater importance than the indigenous architectural environment
which has evolved over centuries in response to local physical and climatic
conditions, in terms of settlement structure, house form, building
technique and the use of local materials.
Governments should be made aware of the need both to intensify their
efforts to maintain the positive qualities of the indigenous urban and
rural environment and to provide planning authorities with the
responsibility and the authority for protecting their historic towns
against the pressures of excessive expansion and industrialisation.
5. To counteract the dangers threatening smaller historic towns, strategies
and measures on various levels are necessary:
(i) Regional policy must take into account the specific needs
of smaller historic towns and must ensure their
conservation by assigning them a role in keeping with
their special structure: above all, the economic function
of smaller towns should be selected so as to imply
neither disruption nor dereliction of the historic
substance and structure;
(ii) In order to accomplish this, there must be coordination at the
planning stage of all public authority policies which affect
the town including, for example, industrial location,
transportation network and other regional facilities.
(iii) On the local level, too, planning must recognize the need to
retain and to enhance the specific values of the town, and
should aim:
a) to observe the existing scale of the town in all new
developments, to respect its character, its dominant buildings
and its relation to the landscape,
b) to retain the specific visual qualities of urban spaces, streets
and squares not only in isolated "tradition islands" but throughout
the town's fabric, so as to provide, at the very least, a continuous
network linking the main points of interest,
c) to avoid the destruction of historic elements which, at first
sight, might seem to be of minor importance but whose cumulative loss
would be irretrievable,
d) to search for appropriate new uses for empty buildings which would
otherwise be threatened with decay.
(iv) Methods for surveying, assessing and protecting the character
of smaller historic towns must be developed, as a premise to
their conservation. Technical, legal and financial problems
should be taken fully into account. The exchange of experiences
is an important aid. The UNESCO-ICOMOS Documentation Centre
might undertake the collection of relevant information to put
at the disposal of all.
(v) It is, finally, essential to stimulate a sense of pride in
their historic environment and a sense of responsibility for
its maintenance among the inhabitants of smaller towns and
among their political representatives, as a basic condition for
the long-term success of conservation Policy.
6. In many places, the preservation of smaller towns has largely been the
result of local initiative and such worthwhile activities must be
encouraged and supported. The problems of urban conservation are, however,
growing too complex for private action and purely local initiative. The
future must see stronger and more comprehensive national and regional
legislation to encourage the conservation of smaller historic towns, and to
protect them from the threat of property speculation.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, 29-30th May 1975.
12 August 1994 : phs