Volviendo al centro históricoLa recuperación diferencial del patrimonio y su supeditación a las dinámicas urbanísticas. El caso de Sevilla

Laburpena

Historical city centres are complex spaces where multidimensional urban dynamics interact with the urban heritage in which the memory of the city is preserved. The thesis postulates that the development of this dialectical relationship has been influenced by the rise and consolidation of the post-Fordist city and transnational capitalism. It is argued that business and urban development have prevailed over heritage in the understanding and management of historical city centres since the 1980s. Research relating to these sites has tended to be dominated by authorised discourses focusing at the scale of detail such as architecture or at city scales that have considered historical city centres as neighbourhoods. Urban and heritage characteristics (such as morphology, functionality, identity or social character) which could be explored using study at the intermediate scale, have frequently been left aside. The interaction between urban dynamics and processes of heritage construction within historical city centres are analysed in two ways: theoretical and practical. The theoretical part deals with the character, intensity and rhythms of the processes that shape urban and heritage dynamics in urban historical areas at international (with an emphasis on Western Europe) and state level. It investigates the lack of attention to the spatial dimension, which could be viewed as a key factor explaining why physical heritage assets (such as monuments) tend to be considered of more value than other, less tangible cultural expressions. The practical part proposes a multi-scalar methodology to study Seville’s historical city centre, in order to unveil the spatial and cultural arguments that have predominated in heritage conservation and recovery from the 1980s until the first decade of the 21st century. The evolution of urban and heritage policies in the city and the treatment of cultural assets are analysed in depth at three scales. At the general scale, thedegree of impact and distribution of building transformation and substitution in the city centre are considered. At the intermediate scale, the focus is set on urban heritage in two particular cases: the San Luis neighbourhood and the Encarnación square and its surroundings. At the detailed scale, attention is drawn to ten representative cultural assets, which are examined on their own and in relation to the urban setting in which they are placed.