Heritage discourse in the Netherlands is adapting to challenges in society. The need for a rapid energy transition as an answer to climate change is forcing change in cities and cultural landscapes. ‘Making heritage’ is no longer limited to authorities but also takes place in social and entrepreneurial practices.
As an effect, cultural heritage professionals are shifting their attention away from conservation and entering into public discussions on how shared values and identities relate to urgent issues such as climate change and urban development. Can elements of the built environment manifest itself as meaningful places through the meanings that residents, community groups and entrepreneurs attach to it? Through different strategies for adaptive re-use, both social and sustainability issues are being tackled, as is shown in different case studies and programs throughout the Netherlands.
These and other questions were raised by Teun in his lecture Making Heritage – Establishing Meanings through Participatory Methods. Teun was invited for the conference “Repurposing The Built Environment: Intersections Of Design, Sustainability And Livability” by the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, in collaboration with the Netherlands Consulate-General in Istanbul. Different Turkish and Dutch Professionals on adaptive reuse were invited as guest lecturers: Alexis Sanal (architect SANALArc), Yaşar Adnan Adanalı (urbanist, Center for Spatial Justice), Bahar Yalçın (deputy mayor, Kadıköy Municipality) and Wessel de Jonge (Wessel de Jonge architecten / TU Delft).
