Heritage Conservation is often seen as the conserver of society's honor and memory. However over the last decade (or two, actually) it has gained recognition for its role in the sustainable development of urban areas (Bandarin and van Oers, 2012). My research project studies the scope and extent to which Urban Heritage Conservation supports sustainable development, greener transitions to be specific, in urban areas. While the study is part of a broader research project undertaken by my Professor Dr. Creighton Connolly, I had the honour of leading a self-directed (but supervised) initiative to explore my project in Bandung, Indonesia.

The research asks whether heritage governance in Bandung enables coordination or reproduces fragmented planning. Through my fieldwork, it also tries to find any presence (or potential) of common ground between state authorities, civil society, and communities. Despite growing recognition of heritage's role in sustainability, municipal bodies have fallen short in integrating cultural conservation into environmental planning.

Bandung is the second largest metropolitan region in Indonesia. During the 1920s and 30s, it almost became a colonial capital under the Dutch had the Great Depression not happened. It is home to one of the world's largest collection of Art-Deco Buildings, and boasts an impressive history and presence of green heritage that circles and inhabits within. 

My overseas research component lasted seven weeks of being intrigued in all directions, lost with Google Maps, and tested the limits of my supposedly fluent Indonesian. I spent my time doing policy studies, planning reviews, spatial analysis, and a whole lot of semi-structured interviews with state authorities like Disbudpar, Disparbud, BBKSDA, and Distaru, civil society groups like WALHI Jabar, Bandung Heritage Society, and Cika-Cika, plus locals and academic experts. Please don't worry about this (yet) as I'll share my findings and reflections later with (hopefully) decent illustrations.

My involvement with civil society groups, despite being slightly last minute, helped me think through how living heritage and community resilience actually connect. A well-conserved natural and historic environment (what scholars refer to as living heritage) can reduce risks from socio-ecological disasters and strengthen community resilience. However such potential is best realised through a synergy with stakeholders.

And hear me out!!! Before I went into this project I'd have no idea of the politics that would ensue the whole nation, so I will make sure to reflect on that in a separate post.