Abstract:
Based on the UNESCO recommendation of Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), adopted on 10th November, 2011, the work on Colonial Heritage, Urban Development in Guwahati City: A Study in Heritage Resource Management proceeds to construct the meaning of heritage and henceforth apply it in the context of the city of Guwahati. The present study is based on heritage resource management in the urbanised scenario. Heritage, whether tangible or intangible, belongs to mankind in general and not associated with any particular culture or place. As expanding cities is an integral part of the urbanisation process, the past is often threatened by the present. The past needs to be preserved but at the same time the present cannot be threatened. The past has to make way for the present and let development continue. In the 21st century when globalisation, localisation, sustainability and responsibility are the key words, historic preservation has taken a different role. Taking note of the different kinds of threats to the heritage resources taking place globally (natural or manmade) which is recognised by the UNESCO and the population threat which is the predominant threat in the Indian context, the study proceeds to introduce managerial traits for the heritage management in Guwahati through a process of analytical framework. This framework is developed by borrowing ideas from the 10th November 2011 UNESCO recommendation on the historic urban landscape and the set of 5Cs i.e. credibility, conservation, capacity building, communication, and communities developed by World Heritage Committee in the Budapest Declaration (2002 ).
