Integrated Conservation

The concept of the architectural heritage has gradually changed during the last 30 years from primarily consisting of outstanding monuments or - at least - individual buildings to a more comprehensive conception of built environments whose most interesting elements may be the bulk of more common buildings, the street pattern or the interaction between buildings and landscape. Of course the monuments which may be part of such built environments add to the value.

The old market place and the medieval church of Nysted.

The main reason for this change in attitude has been the sudden disappearance of large numbers of "common" buildings in the lifetime of just one generation, owing to bombing, town-renewal or traffic installations. The functional and material value of a building, which for earlier generations acted as a guarantee for its continued existence, ceased to have importance for decisions as to whether it should be preserved or not.

Particularly since the 1960s and 1970s the populations have witnessed changes in the industrial potential and an expansion in the dwelling areas unknown to earlier generations. This gave rise to a movement towards a greater care for the local environments.

The experience was common all over Western Europe and a major part of the World as a whole, and so was the reaction: a growing appreciation of the more humble architecture and the environmental features in connection with them, which had hitherto been neglected.

Ribe - the Dams. The main street is called Upper Dam, Middle Dam and Lower Dam, thus referring to the fact that vital parts are in fact dams over the stream connecting the southern and northern banks across two small islands.
The dam is penetrated by three streams for water mills, the sound of which is a characteristic element of the environment. So is the green of the small gardens along the banks of the stream.

The architectural heritage has gradually become an integral part of the cultural heritage as a whole, and a number of international agreements for the protection of these values have been signed and implemented.

Within The Council of Europe the European Charter of the Architectural Heritage (1975) introduced the term "integrated conservation", and the Granada Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (1985) laid further stress on this aspect and added as its major contribution a definition of the different forms of the architectural heritage. In this connection should also be mentioned The Malta Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (1992) whose introduction of the conception of "the anticipatory approach" is also of interest in connection with the protection of the architectural heritage.

Developed structure (dominant feature) covering the whole of Nørresundby today. The map shows the relationship between the geographical situation and the street pattern as well as the situation of principal buildings such as the church, the water tower and some of the factories.
On the southern side of Limfjorden is situated the twin town of Aalborg of which Nørresundby is now part.

The Green Book on the Urban Environment issued by The Commission of The European Union in 1990 included the architectural heritage in the total urban environment alongside with e.g. fresh air, parks, traffic etc. and advocated the opinion that protection of architecture should be an integrated part of all initiatives aiming at improving the urban environment.

The main tendencies have been 1) a shift in scope from the exclusive protection to a broader conception of the term which should include participation of local residents, 2) an intersectorialisation between culture and environment, and 3) a new interest in the principle of the sustainable development, i.e. a consideration of the economy of the resources used in restoration works compared to the resources used in the building of new houses.