Support for heritage preservation grows - City report

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Support for heritage preservation grows - City report

Postby newsposter » Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:42 pm

The City of Calgary's 2007 Social Outlook report (an annual document) reports that support for heritage preservation is growing. Excerpt from the document is below. (Members of CHI and of the Calgary Heritage Authority were among those who participated in focus groups that helped to craft the report.)

An electronic copy of the complete report is available online at:
http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/pla ... utlook.pdf

Heritage Preservation an Area of Growing Interest

Support for heritage preservation in Calgary is strong. In a recent survey of western cities, over three-quarters of Calgary residents supported the preservation of historic buildings (Berdahl, 2007). In Calgary, 79.2% of residents felt that preserving historic buildings was a good or very good idea, the second highest level of support in western Canada, second only to Edmonton where 80% of residents expressed support. Conversation Calgary participants perceived there to be a greater appreciation of the built heritage in Calgary as well as increasing attempts to incorporate heritage preservation into new developments. For example, the Arriva, Ramsay and Bow developments have significant architectural preservation. At the same time, there is a danger of “facadism” where the buildings are gutted and only the façade remains to provide the appearance of preservation. It was also noted that while key buildings are being better preserved, older neighbourhoods are being “clear cut”. It was also noted that Calgary doesn’t have a tradition of walking tours, which can make heritage accessible to the public. It was thought that perhaps this may grow as it is important in other large cities.

Despite increasing success in preserving Calgary’s architectural heritage, Conversation Calgary participants expressed concern about the loss of historical resources, an issue that was perceived to be growing. It was noted that the increasing appreciation of the monetary value of artifacts has resulted in a decline in donations to public institutions. As a result, they are lost to public. This is also impacted by a change in policy that prohibits stipulation of use of the item donated as donation now involves relinquishing all ownership rights. This issue has also been impacted by eBay where items that may have previously been donated are now able to be sold for monetary gain. Similarly, the heritage belongings of immigrants from passage to Canada often disappear as children do not realize the value of these items; often they become garbage. There is an attempt to promote awareness to encourage and increase donations of such items.

In addition to artifacts, other heritage resources are reportedly being lost to the community. It was noted that there is not a lot of attention being paid to collecting / preserving Calgary’s visual history. Because there is no actively collecting agency with exhibit space, a lot of visual history is being donated outside of Calgary. There is further a considerable loss of intangible heritage – oral history and a loss of the “stories”. Calgary’s archaeological heritage was also reported to be overlooked. It was noted that it is difficult to find information about archaeological history which makes it hard to provide interpretive information about sites. Calgary’s boom-bust economy is also challenging heritage and archaeological site preservation as the economic pressure for development often overwhelms conservation interests. It was perceived that there is a general lack of awareness / appreciation of Calgary history / heritage that seems to exist among all age groups and cultures. This may be the result of Calgary’s unique situation as a city ofmigrants, as many people who move here don’t feel connected to the community.

In addition to artistic, architectural and archaeological heritage, Conversation Calgary participants noted an increased level of concern and awareness of the natural heritage and increased efforts to preserve it. Examples cited include the Reader Rock Garden and Memorial Drive trees. In fact, it was suggested, Calgarians tend to place more importance on the natural environment than the built / cultural environment. It was suggested that the notion of cultural landscapes needs to be expanded to include trees, and that heritage trees should be considered for designation.
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