Network Theory Framework for Urban Cultural Heritage Conservation

The aim of this study is to propose the application of a network approach to historic urban landscape conservation. Network approaches in landscape ecology and urban studies have been applied in various ways. In a natural landscape, the ecological network model has been applied to conserve biodiversity. The model consists of core areas, corridors, and buffer zones (Cook & van Lier, 1994; Jongman, 2004).In urban studies, the network metaphor has a long tradition especially in transportation planning. More recently, urban design has brought its contribution by different means. Three of these means are: (i) the space syntax method; (ii) the urban ecological network planning; and (iii) the development of heritage corridors for cultural heritage conservation. As urban landscapes are complex, there have been a multiplicity of methods, and graphical representations to the design of networks. In this context, the application of a network approach to urban cultural heritage conservation poses several questions: what method to use to identify the nodes and links? What kind of attributes to investigate? To answer these questions this study investigates the different types of heritage nodes, and corridors existing in an urban context: cultural, historic, functional, visual, and physical.