Some Notes on Area-based Conservation: Lesson Learned from Bandung

Abstract

The city of Bandung is famous for its architectural legacy. As part of urban development, the architectural forms and urban fabrics were influenced by mixture of local-indigenous and Western traditions. Through colonialization cultural layering is a common attribute of most Asian cities. Nowadays, these unique fabrics become vulnerable due the tremendous pressure of urban development. Efforts of heritage management in Bandung have been started since 1990s, in which the first heritage list was accomplished in 1997, and later developed in 2005. The latest list of 2010 was planned for the historic quarter as a supplement to the previous listed building. Questions have been raised on the inclusion of the artefacts into the list and its consequences, due to lack of understanding of urban conservation. Meanwhile, recent debates on authenticity has substantially led to the rethinking of the criteria of conservation, and the designation the area-based conservation approach in urban heritage management. Based upon the mapping of historic urban quarter project, this paper unveils the problems and consequences of the heritage listing. Moreover, the study takes the stand that critical understanding of the urban context is crucial in designating the protection area, including legal bases, delineation and control mechanism.