"Society of Architectural Historians Spiro Kostof Book Award, Honorable Mention, 2018" The conservation of old Sanaa is a major cultural heritage initiative that began in the 1980's under the auspices of UNESCO; it continues today, led by local agencies and actors. In contrast to other parts of the world where conservation was introduced at a later date to remediate the effects of modernization, in Yemen the two processes have been more or less concurrent. This has resulted in a paradox: unlike many other countries in the Middle East that abandoned traditional construction practices long ago, in Yemen these practices have not died out. Builders and craftsmen still work in 'traditional' construction, and see themselves as caretakers of the old city. At the same time, social forms that shaped the built fabric persist in both the old city and the new districts. Yemenis, in effect, are not separated from their heritage by an historical divide. What does it mean to conserve in a place where the 'historic past' is, in some sense, still alive? How must international agencies and consultants readjust theory and practice as they interact with living representatives of this historic past? And what are the implications of the case of Sanaa for conservation in general? Building a World Heritage City addresses these questions and also fosters greater cultural understanding of a little known, but geopolitically important, part of the world that is often portrayed exclusively in terms of unrest and political turmoil.

With its celebrated World Heritage List, UNESCO steers the global heritage agenda through the definition and redefinition of what constitutes heritage and by offering the highest-level forum for heritage professionalism. While it is the national governments that nominate sites for inclusion in the World Heritage List, and the intergovernmental World Heritage Committee that makes the final decision on inclusion or non-inclusion, it is the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for cultural heritage that determines whether the necessary level of ‘outstanding universal value’ is met. Focusing on the discourses of ICOMOS and their transmission to the local context, this book is the first in-depth historical analysis of the construction of heritage value in the context of cities illustrated through a case study of Old Rauma in Finland. The book contributes to the understanding of the discursive and constructed nature of World Heritage values as opposed to intrinsic values, critically scrutinizes the role of ICOMOS in making valuations concerning urban heritage, and sheds light on the interactions and tensions of universal and local (urban) perspectives in the practice of heritage valuation. Valuing World Heritage Cities is the first in-depth historical analysis of the construction of heritage value in the context of cities in the transnational discourses of heritage. This unique and timely contribution will be of interest to scholars and students working in Heritage Studies, Cultural Geography, Urban Studies and Tourism.

The management of World Heritage Cities and sites is a challenging task. Getting visitor flows and the enormous traffic under control and implementing urban development projects in ways that preserve the integrity and authenticity of cultural heritage requires a high level of expertise, backed by the support of civil society and politics. This book is the result of the 2018 Conference of the Organization of World Heritage Cities, held by the Regional Secretariat for Northwest Europe and North America in Amsterdam, with the theme "Heritage & Tourism: Local Communities and Visitors – Sharing Responsibilities". The contributing expert authors – from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe – draw on a range of disciplines to offer wider perspectives, stimulating dialogue among the spheres of heritage, sustainable tourism, and spatial planning. An updated chapter offers perspectives on sustainable tourism also after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colonial buildings and monuments in George Town symbolise new offspring of an architecture style ‒ neoclassical architecture blended with the local style ‒ due to its adjustment to the tropical climate. The establishment of George Town as a port city had changed the landscape of this island from the existed small settlements of traditional fishing villages to colonial settlements. In this exquisite book, the authors welcome you into one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Written in a clear and engaging style, the text includes a wealth of information, and is attractively formatted and enhanced with 143 colorful photographs and illustrations. The book begins with the introduction of George Town as a historic city, and its transformation into one of the world heritage sites. Chapters are then arranged according to building categories. Each provides overview of historical events that influenced the architectural styles of the respective buildings. For anyone interested in architecture, as well as those who are planning to visit this uniquely multicultural heritage city, Architecture and Heritage Buildings in George Town, Penang is an essential reading.

In a time of recession, the challenge of building and planning for tall buildings has become even more complex; the economics of development, legislative and planning frameworks, and the local politics of development must be navigated by those wishing to design and construct new tall buildings which fit within the fabric of their host cities. This book is a timely contribution to the debate about new tall buildings and their role and effect on our cities. It is divided into two main parts. In part one, the relationship between tall buildings and planning is outlined, followed by an exploration of the impacts that construction of tall buildings can have. It focuses, in particular, on the conservation debates that proposals for new tall buildings raise. The first part ends with an analysis of the way in which planning strategies have evolved to deal with the unique consequences of tall buildings on their urban locations. The second part of the book focuses on seven examples of medium-sized cities dealing with planning and conservation issues, and implications that arise from tall buildings. These have been chosen to reflect a wide range of methods to either encourage or to control tall buildings that cities are deploying. The case studies come from across the western world, covering England (Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham), Norway (Oslo), Ireland (Dublin) and Canada (Vancouver) and represent a broad spectrum of approaches to dealing with this issue. In drawing together the experiences of these varied cities, the book contributes to the ongoing debate about the role of the tall building in our cities, their potential impacts, and experiences of those who use and inhabit them. The conclusions outline how cities should approach the strategic planning of tall buildings, as well as how they should deal with the consequences of individual buildings, particularly on the built heritage.

The main aim of this book is to develop and explore the value of new innovative digital content to help satisfy UNESCO’s World Heritage nomination file requirements. Through a detailed exploration of two BIM case studies from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the book uniquely connects the use of Heritage BIM to the documentation methods used by UNESCO and demonstrates how this provides a contribution to both countries with heritage sites and UNESCO as an organisation. The research and practical examples in the book seek to address both the lack of a comprehensive method of submitting a nomination file to UNESCO and the lack of authentic engineering information in countries where extensive heritage sites exist. It looks at answering the following questions: How can Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) be used to better maintain, protect, and record the updated information of historical buildings? How can HBIM provide innovation in creating the missing information for the assignment of UNESCO's World Heritage status? What additional value can a sustainable update of HBIM data provide for such sites? How can HBIM improve the cultural value of heritage buildings in the short, medium, and long term, as well as provide a better future for historical buildings? This book will be useful reading for researchers and practitioners in the areas of heritage conservation, archaeology, World Heritage nomination, HBIM, digital technology and engineering, remote sensing, laser scanning, and architectural technology.