El planeamiento urbanístico y la gestión del patrimonio arqueológico en Córdoba

Résumé

One of the major challenges ínvolved in archaeological heritage management is that of fitting the hígh number of archaeologícal operations performed in our cities into a global project that strikes a balance between the protection, investigation, conservation and díffusion of that heritage and the understanding of the heritage as an essential factor in the future 'constructíon' of our cities and, consequently, in urban planning and development. Whíle in the last ten years the legislative framework established through the Spanish Cultural Heritage Act and the dífferent laws enacted by the Autonomous Comrnunities has meant a reasonable level of protection for a largely neglected cultural heritage, we are now faced with the need to strike a balance between the protection and conservation of the archaeological heritage and the continuíty of our cities as living, developing organísms. In the light of our experience, achieving such a balance entails considering city stratigraphical deposits as belonging toan archaeological site where work has to be done in accordance with unified criteria covering methodology, concept and project. Moreover, this work needs to be done in such a way as to prevent the growing levels of private and public investrnent and the inevitable sacrifice of part of the layers of materials from reducing all potential archaeological action to a simple administrative process. Such action, within this context of growing investrnent and the inevitable loss of archaeological evidence, should lead to historical knowledge of the city's past, knowledge that should be made available to society as a whole rather than being confined to academic or professional circles.