Speakers
Description
This paper investigates the transformative potential of urban planning by presenting the process through which the authors drew up a comprehensive Views and Vistas Analysis for Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Malta’s capital city. As a Mediterranean port city, Valletta's urban form and architectural heritage, deeply intertwined with its maritime history, reflect a rich tapestry of cultural and historical significance (UNESCO, 2023). The theoretical background to the Views and Vistas Analysis shall be presented through three key themes related to Urban Cultures and Lived Heritage: Spatiality, Community and Ritual. Through the first theme, Spatiality, we shall examine the situatedness of a person experiencing a cultural landscape (Bressa et al., 2021). We shall investigate how the city's spatial organization, including its distinctive grid-iron morphology, its robust fortifications, and its characteristic waterfronts, contribute to its enduring cultural value. Secondly, we shall delve into the theme of Community, considering how a viewer’s changing gaze contributes to their intangible experience of the city (Viik, 2011). Here, we shall describe how the pressures of development are altering the city's visual character and its intangible cultural values, such as its sense of place, community spirit, and social fabric. This includes examining how the increasing influx of tourists, the demands of contemporary lifestyles, and the application of development control mechanisms are all factors in the ongoing transformation of the city. Finally, we shall explore how Ritual is intricately linked to the role of the city (Wasserman, 1998), since Valletta was conceived as a bulwark of Christianity that has served uninterrupted as a site of pilgrimage and spectacle. We shall explore how the movement of people for religious ceremonies, daily life, and cultural events such as festivals and parades has shaped the city's sightlines and imbued it with a unique sense of performance and theatricality.
The Views and Vistas Analysis for Valletta was conducted through a rigorous seven-point methodology inspired by literature (e.g. LeBlanc, 2008) international Charters for Heritage Conservation (e.g. ICOMOS, 2005, 2013) and similar initiatives (e.g. DEGW, 2002; Veldpaus and Roders, 2014; Municipality of Florence, 2022), specifically using the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value for Valletta (UNESCO, 2023) to identify key view-based indicators. This methodology aims to understand the significance of urban views for Valletta by identifying key visual elements within the city that contribute to its visual appeal, assessing the aesthetic and symbolic importance of these features, determining optimal viewing positions to experience and evaluate these views, analysing the visual composition of the views, considering elements in the foreground, middle-ground, and background, and finally, outlining measures to protect the visual integrity of these key views by mitigating potential threats from development and other factors. This approach therefore seeks to understand and protect the visual character of Valletta by identifying its most significant views and developing strategies to safeguard them. The analysis resulted in a set of key principles for good governance in the interpretation and application of Maltese spatial planning policy. These principles emphasize the importance of assessing the cumulative impact of development within the city and its immediate environs, recognizing that incremental development can significantly impact the city's skyline through the articulation of its roofscape. Ultimately, the Views and Vistas Analysis is a tool to define a Sphere of Influence (UNESCO, 2009, 2011, 2021) around the city, this serving as a zone within which development is to be carefully assessed to maintain Valletta’s urban attractiveness in the way the city is visually experienced both from within and without.
References
Bressa, N. et al. (2021) ‘What’s the situation with situated visualization? A survey and perspectives on situatedness’, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 28(1), pp. 107–117.
DEGW (2002) London’s Skyline, Views and High Buildings. Greater London Authority. Available at: https://docplayer.net/57728630-London-s-skyline-views-and-high-buildings.html (Accessed: 26 May 2023).
LeBlanc, F. (2008) World Heritage: Defining and Protecting Important Views. Available at: http://leblancf.com/publications/pub_2008_important_views.pdf.
Municipality of Florence (2022) Management Plan for the Historic Centre of Florence. Available at: https://www.firenzepatrimoniomondiale.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ENG_WEB.pdf.
UNESCO (2009) World Heritage and Buffer Zones. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/series/25/ (Accessed: 29 May 2023).
UNESCO (2011) Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, including a glossary of definitions, UNESCO. Available at: https://en.unesco.org/about-us/legal-affairs/recommendation-historic-urban-landscape-including-glossary-definitions (Accessed: 26 May 2023).
UNESCO (2023) City of Valletta, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/131/ (Accessed: 26 May 2023).
Veldpaus, L. and Roders, A.P. (2014) ‘Learning from a Legacy: Venice to Valletta’, Change Over Time, 4(2), pp. 244–263. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1353/cot.2014.0022.
Viik, T. (2011) ‘Human spatiality: a cultural phenomenology of landscapes and places’, Problemos, 79, pp. 103–114.
Wasserman, J.R. (1998) ‘To trace the shifting sands: Community, ritual, and the memorial landscape’, Landscape journal, 17(1), pp. 42–61.
| Keywords | Community, Ritual, Spatiality, Views, Visual Integrity |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
