Community – led Urban Strategies in Historic Towns THE COMUS PROJECT

1. PHILIP STEIN – LEAD EXPERT COMUS
TBILISI SEPTEMBER 18TH
2015
Community – led Urban Strategies in Historic Towns
THE COMUS PROJECT
EU Eastern Partnership Culture Programme II

2. COMUS OBJECTIVES
- To enhance social, economic, urban
development practices capitalizing on
cultural heritage resources
• Raising the importance of heritage
• Fostering an integrated approach
• Managing the urban dynamic (constraints and
pressures), and making best use of the urban
fabric to support a new modernity
• Introducing stakeholder and citizen participation in
the decision-making process
Pilot Project for the Rehabilitation of Cultural heritage in Historic
Towns – Kyiv Initiative Regional Programme 2007

3. WHY INTEGRATED and PARTICIPATIVE?
- Evolution in urban management
processes
- Leipzig Charter 2007
- Europe 2020: smart, green inclusive
growth = smart, green, inclusive
towns and cities
- Recognition of the importance of small
and medium-sized cities “Cities of
Tomorrow” 2011
- Heritage is a player
- Increasingly Accepted Good Practice

8. EXPANDING VOCABULARY
- Identity
- Authenticity
- Preservation
- Conservation
- Rehabilitation
- Monuments & Sites
- Specialism
- Protection
- Heritage at Risk
- World Heritage
Cities
- Change of Use
- Historic Urban Landscape
- Brownfields
- Asset, Opportunity
- Regeneration
- Growth, Resource
- Integrated & Sustainable
- Partnership
- Smart Cities, Green Cities
- Socially Inclusive
- Low Emission Zones
- Community-Led

9. TERMINOLOGIES – REALITIES
INEXTRICABLY LINKED

10. COMPONENTS OF THE INTEGRATED
APPROACH: POLICY AREAS
- Physical Dimension: planning, housing,
public open space, infrastructure
- Social Dimension: social services, health,
cohesion and neighbourhoods
- Economic Dimension: local economy,
employment, budgets and investment
capacity
- Environmental Dimension: sustainability,
energetics, sensibilisation
- Cultural Dimension: communities, heritage,
arts

11. PROJECT MECHANICS (FORM AND CONTENT)
INSPIRATION/INPUT
- Ljubljana Process:
Rehabilitating our
Common Heritage
- HeRO: Heritage as
Opportunity
- URBACT
- Pilot Project PP2:
Rehabilitation of
Cultural Heritage in
Historic Towns –
Preliminary
Technical Files
4 PHASES
• Inception
Phase
• Planning
Phase
• Project Phase
• Consolidation
Phase
ACTIVITIES
• Local Stakeholder
Group / PIU
• Pilot Town
Reference Plan
(Analysis/Vision and
Objectives/
Identification of
Actions)
• Concrete Heritage
Rehabilitation
Projects

12. THE PILOT TOWNS
Armenia
- Gyumri,Goris
Belarus
- Mstislavi
Georgia
- Dusheti
Moldova
- Soroca
Ukraine
- Lutsk, Zhovka

14. PHILIP STEIN
LEAD EXPERT COMUS PROJECT
phstein@skynet.be

15. PHILIP STEIN – LEAD EXPERT COMUS
DUSHETI SEPTEMBER 18TH
2015
Community – led Urban Strategies in Historic Towns
THE COMUS PROJECT
EU Eastern Partnership Culture Programme II

16. PILOT TOWNS AND THE COMUS
PLANNING PHASE
4 PHASES
• Inception Phase
Setting agreements and protocols – Understanding
objectives – Building project teams
• Planning Phase
• Project Phase
Initiating specific, priority heritage-led rehabilitation
projects - Seeking to secure funding
• Consolidation Phase
Taking stock, evaluation as key to design/adapt process
and practice

17. PILOT TOWNS AND THE COMUS
PLANNING PHASE
PLANNING PHASE
• Revisiting the evidence base – Preliminary
Technical Files (PP2 – Kyiv Initiative)
• Building a Local Stakeholder Group and project
management structure – Project
Implementation Unit
• Producing a Pilot Town Reference Plan
(Framework document and Road Map)
- Analysis of key urban issues
- Establishing a shared vision and operational
objectives
- Drawing up a catalogue of actions designed to
tackle priority issues and achieve operational
objectives

18. INTEGRATED APPROACH - ADDED VALUE
ANALYSIS AND INTERACTION OF KEY ISSUES AND
URBAN THEMES
• Level of Influence of Pilot Town
• Relationship between project area and
functional urban area
• Position of local heritage in urban development
context
• Urban Functions
• Housing
• Capacity for intervention

20. TRAINING SESSION FOR PROJECT OFFICERS
AND MANAGERS – MOBILISING LOCAL
STAKEHOLDER GROUPS AND PROJECT
IMPLEMENTATION UNITS
WORKSHOPS
• Heritage as cross-cutting theme – integrated
approach
• What is a Local Stakeholder Group and who
should participate
• Moderating skills
• Methods to capitalise on stakeholder
collaboration

21. PHILIP STEIN
LEAD EXPERT COMUS PROJECT
phstein@skynet.be