Challenges for Heritage Conservation and Management in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

This paper describes the issues and challenges in safeguarding and protecting the urban heritage in Medan by observing the town heritage of Medan and interviewing the local communities. The Indonesian Law on Cultural Property Conservation number 11 the year of 2010 allows the provincial and local government for the greater representation in managing and conserving their cultural heritage. This paper also discusses the gaps in that current town planning to assist the heritage conservation in Medan. Through a semi-structured interview, field survey and the SWOT analysis, the research found a broad overview of the challenges in heritage conservation in Medan. For example, overlapping duties, lack of clarity regarding jurisdiction and the lack of inter-organization coordination between government agencies that are significant obstacles to meeting the goals of heritage conservation. Another critical problem in Medan is registration and designation. In conclusion, the local government of Medan has paid less attention to the protection of their heritage during the last three decades. Meanwhile, the awareness of the local community at the grassroots increased; however, the concepts of an active role for the community and integrated conservation linked to the town planning are underdeveloped. Therefore, it has also caused the recent heritage conservation program challenging to achieve its objectives.