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Sehizaderh M, Izadi M S. (2026). The Evolution of Ideas, Approaches, and Programs for the Conservation and Revitalization of Historical Buildings and Urban Fabric from the Second Half of the 20th Century. Athar. 46(111), 113-0. doi:10.61882/Athar.1999.4054.1
URL: http://athar.richt.ir/article-2-1999-en.html

Abstract
With the emergence of the modern conservation movement in the late 19th century, ideas and approaches to the restoration and conservation of historic structures entered a new arena of thought, policy making and action. This article reviews the evolution of ideas and approaches to the preservation and revitalization of historical and cultural buildings and textures, and the characteristics of the new restoration thinking known as the modern conservation movement, and introduces programs influenced by this approach, especially in recent decades. The purpose of presenting the characteristics and theoretical and practical framework of this approach and its evolutionary process in this article is to introduce new concepts of conservation and to familiarize with common measures influenced by this trend in other countries, especially Western Europe. The research method is a library study based on materials contained in books, articles, and authoritative documents, as well as a case study of urban revitalization experiences in the countries of England, France, and Italy. At the end of this article, three documents published by English Heritage, entitled “Principles of Conservation: Policies and Guidelines for the Sustainable Management of Historic Environments”, “The Power of Place: The Future of Historic Environments” and “The Historic Environment: A Force for Our Future”, will be introduced to review the latest perspectives and approaches to conservation, and to provide an example of a practical framework for the realization of this policy. This study shows that in the new approach to conservation, central principles include a holistic approach when dealing with values, in addition to considering the historic environment as an economic and social asset, as well as a great cultural resource.
Keywords: Conservation, Revitalization, Resolutions & Charters, Cultural-Historical Heritage, Ideas & Approaches.

Introduction
Today, conservation in its modern sense refers to a comprehensive policy that, while preserving values, revitalizes historical structures. Paying attention to preserving cultural values, safeguarding local and historical wealth, and protecting the valuable textures of historic core of the city is considered a policy for revitalizing these areas. This is while the prevailing policies, without paying attention to the developments and evolution of approaches, emphasize the basics that have been discussed and exchanged for years in academic, professional, and policy-making communities; but international statements, charters, and resolutions emphasize the dissemination of new findings. This article, while examining international documents with an interpretative-analytical approach, extracts the thematic axes of these developments. By reviewing this evolutionary process, a comprehensive framework for the protection of historical structures and environments can be achieved.
    The present study seeks to explain a comprehensive and all-encompassing approach to the concept of preserving historical environments. Therefore, as the method of research it uses an interpretive analytical approach to answer the three main questions of “what”, “why” and “how”. Therefore, this research is philosophically based on interpreting paradigms and has a qualitative approach. One of the ways to reach the desired principles is to examine published documents and statements and look at the subject at different spans of time. From observing and examining these documents, the most important approaches are extracted, and new policies are identified by analyzing the employed ones. For this purpose, the content analysis method is used. This method, which is one of the most important research methods in social sciences, seeks to recognize data not as a set of material events but as symbolic phenomena and analyzes it without disturbing it. The method of examining documents will be through critical observation and analysis based on theoretical foundations. In fact, the approach of this study in this case and in examining the periods will include a critical interpretation of the changes in each period.

Discussion
Examining of the above mentioned documents shows the evolutionary process of ideas, approaches and policies of conservation in the second half of the twentieth century which can be summarized chronologically in the following ten themes:
1. Crossing the boundary of physical conservation of buildings and complexes towards the “functional revitalization” of not only the historical buildings but also the entire historic core.
2. Emphasis on the importance of “social empowerment of cities” and attention to the contemporary needs of citizens and residents of historical urban areas in addition to improving their social function and paying attention to the physical attributes of these areas.
3. Generalizing the scope of protection from individual buildings to the spaces between buildings and urban spaces, complexes, context, texture, historic environment, landscapes, as well as increasing attention to “the values of historical environment” and expanding this approach to the totality of the historical urban texture. 
4. Paying attention to the economic dimensions of the “tourism industry” to recover capital and resources in the protection of valuable monuments for achieving the development and sustainable management of historical structures and the dynamic interaction between tourism and cultural heritage.
5. Paying attention to the protection of “natural and cultural heritage” in addition to combating environmental pollution.
6. Emphasis on “creating an enabling environment” and providing the necessary grounds for the realization of protection programs through educational programs, paying attention to economic fields, developing structures and organizations, promoting social awareness and providing legal grounds for the protection of historical areas.
7. Efforts to reconcile old physical spaces with modern life or in other words “contemporary needs” of historical urban areas and revitalizing buildings or textures with appropriate functionality.
8. Emphasis on the preservation and survival of the “cultural value of the place”; meaning a place management policy should be based on an understanding of the cultural significance of the place.
9. Attention to the conservation, improvement and revitalization of small settlements with “public participation”. 
10. Introducing the new approach of “integrated conservation”. 

Conclusion 
This paper has reviewed the evolution of the modern conservation movement & examined ten thematic subjects as the conceptual framework of the current approach to conservation. As mentioned, the expansion of the scope and activity of conservation from individual buildings to the integrity of the context, simultaneous attention to cultural and natural heritage, a change in the approach to the reuse of historical buildings and monuments, and the tendency to functional renewal and effective economic uses of historical buildings, as well as attention to the tourism industry as an opportunity for economic development and growth of residents or neighbors of historical areas are considered among the most important developments in the approach of the modern conservation movement. On the other hand, attention to the economics of conservation and the central role of development in conservation policies and approaches was examined as a later approach to integrated conservation. In the later approach, historic buildings serve as key resources in development and renovation programs and play an important role in these programs. Conservation programs consider the reuse of historical structures and the creation of new spaces as the most important drivers of development. In examining the latest document published by English Heritage, entitled “Principles of Conservation: Policies and Guidelines for the Sustainable Management of Historic Environments”, a comprehensive approach to values and the consideration of the historic environment as an economic and social asset as well as a great cultural resource is also evident.