So Close and Yet So Far: The Distant Heritage of the Historical Urban Landscapes of Residential Districts of Tartu, Estonia

Abstract

The urban landscapes of residential areas outside of historic city centres have been increasingly recognized as cultural heritage and as potentially powerful source of meaning for local identities. In Estonia, many municipalities have established milieu protection areas, among them the town of Tartu which has currently ten areas, mainly comprising residential areas developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The authorised heritage discourse proceeds from the historical values in these areas, yet in its dialogue with the public, be it via the comprehensive plan or in discussions about single projects, it focuses on setting restrictive conditions to construction and renovation, instead of properly communicating the historical values. The neighborhood societies’ input to the comprehensive plan indicates a lack of sufficient links between the historical urban landscapes and the inhabitants’ lives, often leading to the local heritage to be distant for them which in turn tends to lead to maltreatment of the historical substance. Promoting community identity formation with a narrative approach would favor these links to develop, favoring the inhabitants of these historical urban landscapes to continue the life and stories of the heritage.