The Polytechnic University of Marche activities on the training and research for the integrity of historic urban landscapes in South East Asia.

Ref.: 60
Key theme: 01 Physical integrity of historic urban landscapes
Date of reception: 14/11/2008

AUTHORS (*Main author)

PUGNALONI, Fausto * (Italy) - Polytechnic University of Marche
PARONCINI, Alessio (Italy) - Universita Politecnica Delle Marche

ABSTRACT

Dardus department works in Asia from maybe ten years, with several research and training programmes with Asian Universities: Hue College of Sciences in Vietnam, Chiang Mai University in Thailand and Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, China.
The topics of the cooperation activities are the knowledge and exploitation of the cultural heritage, the sustainable architecture and urban development, the design of low cost building.

During the research activities we discovered that the theme of the understanding, coding and safeguard of the historic urban landscape is a key question in most of the cities of South-East Asia. In these countries we may often find urban systems where the historic architecture is deeply blended with the surrounding territory, the vegetation, the water system, defining many high quality historic urban landscapes.
The presence of these sites is possible thanks to the millenarian harmonious relationship that South East Asian cultures developed among the human presence, the nature and the universe.

Nowadays, the historic urban landscapes in South East-Asia have to solve the question of the relationship with the strong urban development and the housing needs. These problems come from the overwhelming economic rising they are carrying through.
So, the research and training activities carried out by Dardus are finalized to analyze the different issues of the historic urban landscape in some Asian countries, and to propose some strategies for the design of the contemporary city and the landscape management.

The most interesting cases studies we'd like to present are the following :
- Hue City, Vietnam. The integration in the historic urban landscape of a sustainable urban transport network.
- Hue City, Vietnam. The design strategies for the integration in the historic urban landscape of a new residential area placed in the North West corner of the Hue Citadel (Mang Ca).
- Chiang Mai, Thailand. The exploitation of the historic urban landscape around the U-Mong Buddhist area, through the management of the residential urban development and the new cultural and touristic functions linked with the University campus.
The method we adopted to carry out the research activities is based on :
- The analysis of the historic city and of the key elements linked with the historic urban image. Particularly the relationship among the humans, architecture, nature and philosophic-religious principles.
- The full understanding of the specific historic urban landscape in the urban and context and analysis of the loss of visual and functional identity risks. The causes of this risks could be phenomenon linked with the population rising (new residential area, new infrastructures) or natural calamities.
- The defining of design strategies based on the reversibility of the new building or infrastructures, on the low impact of the new urban signs and on the exploitation of the historically recognizable urban characters, on the keeping of the cultural identity of the historic architecture.
- The sharing of the analysis and design process with the local partners. Particularly, thanks to the joint research activities and the student and research exchange, it is possible to share the Italian and the Asian cultures to find innovative and sustainable solutions.

REFERENCES

- PHAN THUAN AN, (2002), Hue Architecture-monuments of Hue
- HELEN WOOLLEY,(2003) "Urban open spaces"
- F.PUGNALONI, G.ISSINI, N.D.MINH (2007). "The Development of Hue City (Vietnam) Landscape and the New Urban. Areas: the Water System for a Sustainable City". Atti del convegno "Globalisation and Landscape Architecture: Issues for Education and Practice", San Petersburg (Russia), conference proceedings. Pp 32, 115-119. St.Petersburg's State Polytechnic University, Polytechnic University Publishing House.
- WHYTE, WILIAM H (1980). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, The conservation Foundation, Washington D.C
- Masterplan of Sectors and National Programs in Vietnam to the year after 2000. Vietnamese Statistical Publishing House 1997
- F.BERLANDA. Urban planning themes in Vietnam, pp 297-301 Saggi sul Vietnam. CELID
- ONU (2002). Cape Town Declaration, Johannesburg, The World Summit on Environment and Development.