| Popis: |
Cities change. Old townscapes are destroyed and replaced with shiny new buildings. The cities of Japan are in a perpetual state of redevelopment. This process is so self-evident that no one gives it a second thought. Yet some people argue that old townscapes should be preserved. As cities change to meet the demands of a new age, those who would prefer to save existing townscapes appear resistant to change. Why would they attempt to protect old townscapes that are hardly convenient or the most comfortable? This is the central concern of this chapter. What does the act of preservation seek to achieve? What are the demands for preservation based upon? Are these demands simply a reflection of individual taste? What type of people participate in preservation movements? Are development and preservation always in conflict, or is it possible to conceive of a different relationship between the two? Most importantly, what do conflicts surrounding preservation reveal about society? In this chapter, I address these questions and, through the use of a detailed case study, undertake a sociological approach to the question of “why preserve?” |
