We hosted an international forum at Habima Theater, bringing together representatives of modern heritage cities to discuss innovative approaches to urban management, seeking to develop an optimized balance between the requirements of contemporary development and the preservation of each city’s unique history. The discussions included available methods to expand the concept of conservation to include not only the physical and architectural aspects of the city but also consider cultural and communal factors.
The forum hosted representatives of modern heritage cities from around the world for a series of public lectures: Brasília (Brazil), Asmara (Eritrea), Gdynia (Poland), Le Havre (France), Vilnius (Lithuania), Manchuria (China), and Tel Aviv. The speakers presented their city, its characteristic modern heritage, and the architectural and cultural conservation challenges it faces.
The second day of the conference was dedicated to professional roundtables attended by representatives of the participating cities, UN-Habitat, and the World Heritage Center. The participants discussed the challenges of preserving architectural heritage and cultural identity in an effort to develop an effective model for managing heritage cities; establish the Modern Cities Forum which will organize joint activities; and adopt research, management, and accessibility tools for modern heritage cities.
As part of the conference, we presented local case studies of heritage city management: new methods for documenting and analyzing historical buildings, mapping historical urban layers and using advanced technologies for the representation and analysis of the urban fabric via cooperations. The collaboration with Microsoft Israel R&D Center and AN + Architects was featured at the entry to the conference.
The Forum is a cooperation of the White City Center, the Department of Conservation of the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, and the Urban Design Program at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem.
