International conference “Flood Protection for Historic Sites”, June 13 – 14, 2014 in Dresden, Germany

University in Dresden, under the patronage of the Saxon Minister of the Interior and in association with the German National Committee of ICOMOS.

Increasingly frequent disasters involving high water have led to efforts in many parts of the world to enhance flood protection. Although the extensive structural measures that are often undertaken also protect historic sites, at times these very measures can impair a site’s special values. Not enough attention has been given in the past to such adverse effects. This interdisciplinary colloquium will discuss relevant experiences from various contexts and professional perspectives. Further information is to be found in the program and on the following website:

www.flood-heritage-2014.de

HERITAGE AND ACCESSIBILITY: European Symposium, March 21-22, 2013

How can one make protected towns, monuments and sites in Europe accessible?

How can one work together accessibility and protection of heritage while dealing with statutory and architectural requirements? How can one break down the barriers to accessibility in historic monuments and cultural sites in Europe? How can one accept that sites or monuments inscribed on the World Heritage List, that are supposed to be universal and bring cultures together, can be still inaccessible to some categories of people? How can one facilitate an access to everything for all without threatening the heritage value of buildings and their environment? How are European countries working towards these goals that may seem contradictory at first sight?
These are the main questions that this conference will seek to answer.

Amiens cathedral, France. The entrance, the inside area and the reception desk of the Tourist Office have been designed to welcome physically disabled people.

In order for all of us to enjoy the city, it has become essential to find a balance between the ethical issue of equal opportunity, the acceptance of social diversity, the demand for accessibility and the duty of remembrance, of preserving and promoting heritage sites and landscapes. It is about finding a balance between the supporters of a restrictive protection of monuments and sites, and those in favour of a free access for all types of visitors, at the risk of altering this built heritage or participating in the artificialization of natural areas.
Upgrading the built frame is a necessary condition for disabled people to gain access to culture, knowledge and leisure. Adapting the offer to other kinds of audience is also essential.
The task is as much about creating tools of a cultural mediation that are adapted to all kinds of disabilities, as it is about raising awareness and training heritage stakeholders.
Feedback from European case studies will shed light on these topics to assert the values that we share regarding cultural identities and citizenship in order to design a more inclusive society.

More info: http://patrimoinesaccessibilite.wordpress.com/

US-ICOMOS 15th Annual International Scientific Symposium

Call for abstracts for paper and posters for the 15th Annual US/ICOMOS International Scientific Symposium 40th Anniversary Celebration of the World Heritage Convention May 30 – June 1, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas

In 2012, US/ICOMOS will return to San Antonio, Texas, site of the first US/ICOMOS International Symposium in 1996. That meeting explored the question of "Authenticity" and its meanings in the Americas. Since 1996, San Antonio has continued as a city at the confluence of cultures and heritage in the Americas.
US/ICOMOS seeks proposals for presentations at the 2012 Symposium, which will be organized as three sessions around these themes:
1. Authenticity and Identity in the 21st century — revisiting the 1996 "Declaration of San Antonio" (see http://www.icomos.org/docs/san_antonio.html). What are common themes and variations throughout the Americas?
Authenticity continues to be a key topic in preservation in the years since the first Symposium. It resonates differently in different places and to different groups. It carries different meanings in the treatment of built fabric, in the social and cultural dimensions of places, in the uses of heritage for economic development.
2. Cultural Sustainability — designing a future that includes the heritage of humanity, maintaining both the natural and cultural systems that support our existence, considering people and their relationship to places in truly sustainable design.
Sustainability is framed as including environment, economics, and social equity. A lively conversation has asked whether culture ought to be considered a fourth node added to this triad, or whether it is a dimension that encompasses all the others. Either way, culture is essential. How do we sustain cultures of place while allowing – assisting – their necessary adaptation?
3. Continuity and Urban Growth in Cultural Heritage Contexts — managing change within living cities and places with strong cultural heritage, to include cultural landscape and cultural geography issues.
The 21st century is the world’s first urban century: more than half of all people now live in metropolitan regions, and increasingly in urban megaregions. The heritage of smaller places and previously rural landscapes is subject to pressures at unprecedented scales, but also to significance and opportunities at new scales. For the past year ICOMOS has been reviewing a draft Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (see http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/638), which will be a particular focus of this session.
Note: In all three sessions the conference committee will favor papers that address the Metrics of cultural heritage assets. How do we measure and map the values of places with local or ethnic relevance? How do we identify the assets that give identity to places? How can value-led planning be made systematic for heritage conservation? How can we measure the efficacy of implementation methods?
Each session will be organized as a panel discussion. Participants will each make a short presentation (10 minutes) introducing their subject. Most of each session will be given to discussion among the panelists and with the audience. The conference committee will seek diverse voices and perspectives in each session.
A separate poster session will accommodate additional research and explorations.

The United States National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS) is composed of individual and institutional members representing federal, state and local government agencies, non-profit organization, education institutions, and private firms dedicated to the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage. US/ICOMOS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization. ICOMOS is an international advisory body of 9,000+ professionals from 120 national committees that evaluates cultural sites nominated for the World Heritage List, monitors the state of conservation of those sites, supports capacity building worldwide, and reviews requests for international assistance.
Instructions for Submitting an Abstract (please read carefully)

• Abstracts must be received by US/ICOMOS by Monday, December 12, 2011. Please indicate whether the submission is for a paper or a poster.
• Maximum text of 250 words, in English or Spanish.
• US/ICOMOS will accept electronic (Microsoft Word or Adobe pdf files only) abstracts sent by email to don.jones@usicomos.org
• The page with the abstracts must contain AT THE TOP the title of the proposed paper, the name of the author(s), and contact information (institutional affiliation, mailing address, phone number and email address). Please include a brief biographical statement (maximum 200 words).
• Up to two images may be included with each abstract, as .jpg or .tif files. They should be included as attachments to the same e-mail as the abstract, with a filename in the form of .image<1 or 2>.. They should be sized at 72dpi, no more than 600 pixels wide or tall, file size no greater than 2MB.
External reviewers will evaluate all abstracts, with final selection by the conference committee. Authors selected for paper presentations will be notified by mid-

February 2012. Completed paper drafts will need to be received by session chairs by Monday, April 2. We anticipate that the Symposium will produce a publication including edited versions of the accepted papers.

US/ICOMOS hopes to be able to offer simultaneous translation for plenary addresses and the three sessions, so that the languages of the conference can be both English and Spanish.
In previous years, US/ICOMOS was able to secure grants and monetary contributions to help defray travel, lodging, and registration costs for international speakers selected to present papers, and for qualified students to attend the Symposium. We are making every effort, despite today’s changed financial environment, to raise funds to continue this assistance. For updated information on scholarships please check the US/ICOMOS website: http://www.usicomos.org
Donald G Jones, PhD, Director
US/ICOMOS
401 F Street, NW, Suite 331
Washington, DC 20001
Ph 202-842-1866
Fax 202-842-1861
Website: http://www.usicomos.org