Maria GRAVARI-BARBAS, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Linda BOUKHRIS, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Sandra GUINAND, University of Vienna, Austria
In the recent years, several centrally located urban historical areas have experienced the departure of public and private services (universities, religious compounds, hospitals, caserns, banks…). This phenomenon, due to a series of internal and external factors, have created considerable urban vacuums, posing the question of the possible restoration/renovation of the buildings and their reuse.
The district of Old Quebec has undergone considerable changes due to the closing down or displacement of various services. The most marking development is probably the departure of several religious orders, many of which own an impressive heritage, both in terms of buildings and objects.
These departures have important consequences on the future urban development and sustainability of the city centre, since the reuse and refurbishment of the vacant buildings introduce/generate important changes of its socio-demographic and economic composition.
In the scope of this paper, we are interested in investigating:
- What relationship is established with heritage when the local decision-makers implement the new functions? (physical aspects of heritage versus their intangible dimensions);
- Which urban tools do exist in order to take into consideration the intangible aspects of heritage;
- How to define “sustainable heritage-urban development” in the framework of historical urban areas which experience the pressures of capitalistic economy;
- How these developments do connect with the rest of the city and the metropolitan area?We stress here the importance of a geographical approach. Our analysis of the capitalistic pressure (through tourism and financial flows) experienced by the district of Old Quebec present important spatial consequences. It is based and understood in a multiscalar / multiactors framework that takes into consideration the interlocking of the historic district of Old Quebec with the City and the metropolitan area of Quebec.
Mots clés : urban redevelopment|historic centre|Old Quebec|heritage conservation|tourismification
A103462MG