@article{301,
  author = {Susan Ross},
  title = {Saving Heritage is Key to Sustainable Development},
  abstract = {<p>\“Heritage conservation is key to sustainable development and development is not sustainable without heritage conservation.\” Integration of the goals of sustainable development and heritage conservation already exist in areas such as the revitalization of urban districts and redeveloping Brownfields. However, in other areas, the integration of common goals is misunderstood. For example, green building design encourages site reuse but usually leans towards new building design rather than revitalization. Conserving entire buildings and revitalizing them, however, has a lesser impact on the environment than recycling the materials salvaged during a demolition. Heritage conservation therefore has the potential to strengthen and develop on the ideas of green design rather than work against it. Heritage conservation can reinforce and expand on issues such as environment protection, economic issues, and social justice. Heritage conservation usually involves sites that are densely developed minimizing the expansion of urban sprawl and demolition and new material costs. Repairing and reusing existing buildings helps boost the market value of the surrounding buildings and neighborhoods. Retaining older buildings contributes to community identity and pride. Ross examines \“Red River College, Winnipeg: Reuse and revitalization in the Exchange District\”. This project is a good example of achieving both heritage conservation and sustainability goals. The college occupies a national historic site called the Exchange District having many buildings under municipal heritage designation. The project accomplished environmental, socio-economic, and heritage goals. Environmental accomplishments include the reuse of buildings and materials, rehabilitation to the site, and waste reduction. Socio-economic accomplishments include the creation of a new urban campus bringing in 2000 students and 200 jobs. Heritage accomplishments include the conservation of most buildings and their facades, maintaining the history of the site. Ross argues that heritage conservation projects should \“promote the use of recycled and durable materials and techniques while considering embodied effects, performance and life cycle assessment.\” \“Do our projects involve the community and engage processes of local democracy and consultation and will they be accessible, provide needed functions and reinforce broader planning frameworks?\” Ross examines an important point in this journal being that maintaining buildings and protecting heritage values is not as difficult and expensive as perceived. In fact there are many aspects of heritage planning that further improve the sustainability, social, and economic issues in a community. The Red River College project revitalized an area that had been neglected since the 1960\’s. The Project did not only drastically enhance the site area but was also recognized nationally as a successful Brownfield remediation project.</p>
},
  year = {2006},
  journal = {Unknown},
  volume = {6},
  url = {www.heritagecanada.org/eng/services/hday_2009/Green\%20Heritage\%20Initiatives/Red\%20River\%20College_En.pdf},
}