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Historic patrimony, like holy
matrimony is best savored when it is shared graciously. Hereby the
fabric of history is embraced by the present and sustained for
future generations. Where certain historic treasures are endangered
from exposure they wisely must be conserved in isolation.
Archaeological remains are often left buried, or reburied; cave
paintings, manuscripts and early photographs must be experienced in
their surrogate form. And much fine art resides in private
quarters. But most of the built and natural environment must truly
be experienced in situ. This brings visitors into contact, and all
to often into conflict, with “locals”. I experienced the conflict
of the rational with the seemingly irrational in my own home town.
Not all communities welcome heritage
tourism. Reasons can be rational and informed, as for those
communities of individuals who don’t want street congestion, don’t
want their privacy invaded, don’t want their secret places revealed
or run down, etc. etc. etc. Some reasons are not so rational, more
emotional, but just as compelling. About ten years ago, my suburban
New York village of Croton-on-Hudson was considering an ordinance
for historic preservation. The Mayor asked me, with a small board
of experts, to write a law that would provide protections for the
special historic resources of this community of approximately 7,000
persons. After several months of analysis of other laws, and
consultation with local, state and national advisors, we drafted
what I thought was a model law, providing concise and parallel
language addressing buildings, districts, objects and archaeological
sites. The draft law was generally well appreciated, except for two
sentences containing the words “mandatory compliance” rather than
merely “advisory in nature”. I felt that the then current advisory
Visual Environment Board on which I served did not receive the
respect and impact it needed, and that the benefits of a new
Landmarks Board with regulatory powers was appropriate. Well…along
came a new Mayor, a fired-up church-lead opposition and a critical
public hearing where I was shocked by the following impassioned
protest: “We don’t want historic preservation in Croton. We want
Croton to stay the way it is!” Result: no ordnance, no Board, no
protections. Even the VEB withered. In later years when the
subject of tourism was raised, similar opposition halted most
efforts at its accommodation.
As an Architect engaged in
preservation of historic sites I consider myself an interpreter of
the story of the resource as well as the story of my own
time---striving to engage and to reveal the life-giving essence of
the site and stories it embodies . My personal success is measured
in how well I understand and relate those stories.
I regard five factors critical to
the overall success of cultural heritage tourism. Real success is
found where these five factors are kept in balance. Miss any one
factor, and success may be weakened, fleeting or totally
unachievable. Think of it as five fully overlapping rings of
influence. You want to be in the middle where all five rings
overlap.
1. Heritage tourism is founded
on: Quality, Authenticity and Integrity. Keyword: Resource
Foundations come first. It’s the
stuff on which the structure of Heritage Tourism is built. For good
reason, this is the factor that often receives the most attention.
It is immediate, visceral and rewarding to engage oneself with the
resource. Quality: the good stuff. Authenticity: the real thing.
Integrity: it speaks! But the reach for success does not end here.
2. Heritage
tourism is advanced by: Planning, both physical and economic.
Keywords: Design and Development.
Development is not the enemy of
preservation! Planning anticipates, supports, and with design,
satisfies the essential needs of both the resource and of tourism.
The resource is shared, and the means to preservation is assured.
3. Heritage tourism is enabled
through: Collaboration and Commitment. Keywords: Community and
Politics
Preservation is a team effort.
Consensus and commitment to shared goals are won through acts of
inclusion and organization. I have seen an angry community
transformed into eager enthusiasts through a single evening’s
session of education and accommodation. Listen well and respond
directly.
4. Heritage tourism is
preserved and protected by: Conservation. Keyword: Sustainability
What we sustain sustains us in
return, and sustains generations to come. We are stewards and
spokespersons for our generation. Dr. James Marston Fitch would
call us “curators of the built world”. We are not the first nor the
last to intervene in the life of the resource. The artifacts of our
heritage are effectively works-in-progress, not to be consumed or
even servile to a single episode of “enlightenment”. Rather, with
conservation, we can indeed have our cake and eat it too. What
pleasure I have known to sit in a place I have conserved knowing
that it will still be there and enjoyed fifty years later largely
because of my efforts.
5. Heritage Tourism is assured
and maintained by: Marketing and Management. Keywords: Program and
People
Marketing: getting the word out,
networking, sharing the story beyond its boundaries, establishing
linkages, appealing to the audience. Giving them what they are
looking for: a reason to come, and to come back again. A reward
every time. Management: opening the doors and keeping them open,
guarding the integrity, good maintenance, making it work in
perpetuity.
Making it work in perpetuity. In
achieving success in Heritage Tourism, the process is not so much
linear as it is cyclical; realized through continual reapplication
and reinvention. Visitation works when the experience is mutually
rewarding, adapting to the times. Resource, people, and story do
indeed evolve. That is how our heritage is sustained. We don’t
just want historic preservation here…we want things to stay the way
they are. We don’t want to interfere with a good thing…we want this
place and our lives to continue to flourish. |
