How much effort should be spent trying to keep Venice looking like Venice – even as it faces rising sea levels that threaten the city with more frequent extreme flooding?
How much effort should be spent trying to keep Venice looking like Venice – even as it faces rising sea levels that threaten the city with more frequent extreme flooding?
As climate change threatens cultural sites, preservationists and researchers are asking whether these iconic locations should be meticulously restored or should be allowed to adapt and “transform.”
“The traditional preservationist paradigm is the idea of static preservation – materials stay in a constant state, and we protect the values identified at the time they were designated,” said Erin Seekamp, first author of a paper that raises these questions and a professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at North Carolina State University.
“However, it’s really infeasible to manage all heritage sites and property through persistent adaptation due to the extent of projected climate impacts,” Seekamp said. “We are arguing for preservationists to shift toward transformation in some cases.”
Read more at North Carolina State University
Photo Credit: DieDritteMarie via Pixabay
