The Integration of new urban development in cultural landscapes of historical value - The Mahalas

Abstract

Cultural landscapes should be understood as a combined work of nature and humankind. It is quite natural that the result of this interaction affects the quality and the heritage value of the existing Landscapes. Integrating new urban development within these Landscapes often leads to the degradation and destruction of the cultural and historical importance that determine the cultural Landscape itself. Many existing Landscapes, both natural and cultural, underlie different strategies for their preservation; Strategies that regenerate the cultural and the historical character, social character and natural character of the landscape. The objective of this paper is to identify the main problems of this type of integration and to analyze the strategies that are intended for the preservation of the existing cultural landscape using a local level case study in Sarajevo. The study is applied to "The old part" of the city, within the historical urban settlements, the so-called Mahalas. Underlying the beauty of the surrounding slopes, the Mahalas represent the residential pattern of once Ottoman oriental architecture in Sarajevo, originated in the 15th century and developed during the Ottoman reign in Bosnia. This paper shows it's possible to define the main link between the historical urban settlements and the new upper hill settlements, to define the "ultimate" and "heritage" limit, the forms of new architectural integration and further urbanization and if landscapes of this nature can be preserved with their cultural and historical significance and withstand future architectural integration.