Employing the Historic Urban Landscape Approach for Planning of Historic Places: Directions for the Preservation of Kota Lama Gorontalo, in Indonesia

Abstract

There is a general concern that the development of historic urban areas can damage cultural heritage sites. Kota Lama Gorontalo located in Gorontalo City, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia is such a cultural heritage site. This area was a bustling port city in the past. Its strategic location being between two crowded shipping areas, namely the South China Sea and Tomini Bay has made Kota Lama Gorontalo grow into an important city in Sulawesi, as the center of a traditional kingdom. This study investigates the historical layers of Kota Lama Gorontalo and threats to its preservation. It is based on the premise that by applying the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach, historic city areas can be developed to meet the changing functional and technical needs while maintaining their character and identity. The research obtains data related to the past context from archival data, maps, and old photographs. Data related to the present-day context is obtained from field research. The findings show that the long period of existence of Kota Lama Gorontalo has produced a variety of cultural remains that have become the identity of the region. Undeniably, it needs to be preserved because these cultural remains are deteriorating because of the developments that do not heed conservation rules and also because of natural disasters. This paper offers recommendations for the preservation of Kota Lama Gorontalo based on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach.