Réseau AVEC Economic and social development

International workshop “Urban heritage in Europe and the Mediterranean: economic and social development”

Arles, 22-23 April 2010

The objective of this workshop was to give a first concrete follow-up to the 2008 seminar.
The topics were:

Different forms of economic and social development around heritage
The old city, engine for development of the tomorrow’s city
Enhancement of urban heritage, vehicle for tourism development
The company at the heart of the heritage economy.

The workshop brought together about 200 people and a dozen speakers from a dozen countries, who were able to present a communication including one on Algiers. Some representatives of UNESCO and ICOMOS were also present.
At the end of the workshop, a statement was drawn up which included the following observations and suggestions:

The enhancement of heritage, especially urban heritage, can be an effective lever for the sustainable development of cities
The inhabitant must be placed at the center of the urban strategies: in this regard, the historic centers have an exceptional capacity of demonstration
Exchanges of experiences are a privileged means of learning, training and sharing of good practices
It is necessary to promote a balanced management of tourism, taking into account the objective of improving the inhabitants’ quality of life.
Finally, the continuity in this approach could involve the establishment of a permanent system of analysis and observation.