Conserving the past: heritage

Worksheet in development

Modern houses can be built from a wider range of materials than were available for houses built 200 years ago. But the approach used then may still be of interest and use to future generations. However, the culture in houses built for earlier generations can be lost. People come to realize the potential lost, and some have developed citizens’ movements aimed at conserving their heritage.

Conservationists may work on keeping particular heritage buildings, apply timber preservation techniques, advocate designation of historic places and steps by central and local government that may keep examples of the past for future generations.

Kansai has temples that have been designated World Heritage sites – and citizens, particularly active in Kyoto – who want 200 year old town houses to also be conserved. New Zealand has marae which specialists at the Historic Places Trust seek to conserve, helped by timber preservation knowledge they generate locally and develop internationally.

Possible key understanding which you may wish students in your class to explore are:

A society’s cultural environment evolves over time.

As cultural environments evolve, society may confer heritage status on some of the elements it views valuable.

People may campaign to conserve cultural heritage

This chapter of the Kansai through Kiwi eyes DVD offers a number of illustrative examples of heritage conservation in the New Zealand and Kansai settings, including,

*Emiko Yamanaka is active in a citizens movement seeking to save town houses such as her family’s in Kyoto
*Japan’s national government can influence the fate of Kyoto town houses by use of scenery law, and inheritance taxes
*The Kyoto municipal government can provide subsidies to encourage the owners of old wooden town houses to prevent them being pulled down and replaced by concrete and steel structures.

Worksheets can be used to explore the central concepts(i.e. advocacy, conservation) of this chapter.