Affordances of Historic Urban Landscapes: An Ecological Understanding of Human Interaction with the Past

Susana Alves

doi:10.1515/esrp-2015-0002

Authors

Susana Alves Okan Üniversitesi, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Architecture, Tuzla Kampüsü, 34959 İstanbul, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1515/esrp-2015-0002

Keywords:

affordances, historic urban landscapes, place, culture, tangible and intangible heritage

Abstract

Heritage has been defined differently in European contexts. Despite differences, a common challenge for historic urban landscape management is the integration of tangible and intangible heritage. Integration demands an active view of perception and human-landscape interaction where intangible values are linked to specific places and meanings are attached to particular cultural practices and socio-spatial organisation. Tangible and intangible values can be examined as part of a system of affordances (potentialities) a place, artefact or cultural practice has to offer. This paper discusses how an ‘affordance analysis’ may serve as a useful tool for the management of historic urban landscapes.

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