Historic Urban Landscape. Its roots and impact today

According to the UNESCO recommendation of the Historic Urban Landscape, urban heritage is not simply the sum of monuments and urban fabric but a comprehensive system marked by historical, geo-morphological, natural and social relationships characterised by a complex layering of meanings resulting from long-term dynamics, where change is still ongoing and needs to be managed and understood. On these grounds the management of archaeological sites or historic centres cannot be understood or tackled isolating them from their context (geographical, historical and social). This is even more true when one deals with archaeological sites located in fragile environmental conditions as the one characterising the territory of Aswan. The brief conceptual history that follows aims to underline the roots and different traditions HUL encompasses and to stress its importance for managing change today. Furthermore, the examples that will be presented show the importance of promoting synergies between urban development, public participation and heritage preservation, in order to successfully manage heritage enhancement in its natural landscape.