LAND: Local heritage values and cultural heritage plans in urban fringe areas

Urban areas today defy traditional notions of what a city is. Old definitions of urban, suburban and rural fail to capture the complexity of regions with motorways, industrial areas, office parks and residential districts pushing far into the countryside. Urban sprawl is now a common phenomenon throughout Europe and is characterised by a low density mix of land uses on the urban fringe. Urban development has impacts far beyond the land consumed directly by construction and infrastructure and its immediate surroundings. The impact urban sprawl has on the cultural environments is in need of being paid attention to. The characters of today`s urban areas often appear diffuse despite the fact that these areas consists of layers from different historical period s and still maintain various degrees of continuity. The project has relevance for problems called attention to in MILJØ 2015, and questions raised in this project are: Do cultural heritage plans relate to the diversity of historic structures such suburba n areas contain, and do they make people in these areas aware of the heritage assets in their local communities through user involvement? Based on interdisciplinary research involving methods developed by landscape architects/ planners, archaeologists and social scientists, this study will provide more knowledge on how the cultural heritage management in suburban areas takes place and will provide more insight into what local residents pay special attention to and appreciate in their environments. It focu ses on cultural heritage management`s role as part of a broader field of planners that has to relate to an increasing degree of mobility in to towns and cities.