Building-historical values maps. An area-oriented approach to building-historical heritage

Abstract

One of the spearheads of the modernisation of preservation of monuments and historic buildings (MoMo) is to have cultural history play a fully fledged role in spatial planning. The cultural-historical assessment is a very important aspect here and makes it possible to assess cultural-historical values early on in a spatial process. The building-historical values map is a strong instrument to define building-historical values. On the basis of inventories in Amsterdam, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Leiden, Nijmegen and Utrecht experiences have been collected and bottlenecks ascertained, from which a standard approach has been developed for the realization of a building-historical values map. The building-historical values map as developed by the convention of municipal building historians, starts from an area-oriented approach analysing both already protected and unprotected areas. The map is a product that is easy to make, which in the first instance is an important condition, especially for municipalities (still) lacking building-historical know-how. Subsequently, the building-historical values map provides possibilities for broadening and deepening policy on monuments and historic buildings. The map may serve as a set of instruments in granting Wabo (general provisions built environment Act) licences and as a means of selection in drawing up the municipal historic buildings register. The first step is making a rough ‘building-historical spot map’. On this map all built-up areas existing around 1830 according to the first land registry map are projected at a macro level on the most recent parcel map. The addresses and buildings database (BAG map) and the large-scale basic map (GBK) included in municipal geographical information systems (GIS) form a good starting point for this. Where the built-up areas of the past are overlapping those of today, a colouring is applied. Thus the area with possible hidden values will be indicated in its largest dimensions. During the second step the selected area is subjected to a building-historical inventory in order to examine whether there actually are indications of the existence of ‘hidden values’. This desk research consists of studying digital aerial photographs and street-view photographs and checking the available building-historical data in property files, sometimes supplemented with a visit to a property. This is to result in the ‘building-historical expectations map’. The third step consists of adding all listed buildings, listed buildings on the municipal historic buildings register, and unprotected, image-defining premises, so that the assessment of more recent cultural-historical values will also be mapped out. Soon the new-style preservation of monuments and historic buildings will force the parties compiling and defining zoning plans to include cultural-historical values in their assessment of interests. The building-historical values map is a very practical tool for this and may give a strong impulse to an area-oriented assessment of cultural-historical heritage. As in most municipalities the historical building substance and the cultural-historical values have not been sufficiently mapped out yet – of some towns and villages hardly any knowledge exists about the historical values behind the facades – it is inevitable that the building-historical map will have to be a growth map, which is to grow step by step from expectations map towards values map, and which will gradually lead to adjustment and refinement.