Abstract:
The Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Approach was
promulgated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation in 2011. South Africa, as a member-state
of UNESCO, has yet to implement this ‘soft law’ into its
regulatory framework. The HUL Approach is intended to be
included in the planning regulations of the third tier of
government or at the local authority level. As a practicing
architect and heritage consultant, I deemed it appropriate to
devote this study to the definition of the historic urban
landscape of historic Pretoria. The administrative capital of
South Africa has a richly layered history and demonstrates a
vibrant and diverse community life. Many layers of cultural and
tangible history await exploration by contemporaries from the
administrative-, academic- and public-sectors, all of whom are
receptive towards the application of the HUL Approach as a
valid strategy that integrates both planning and heritage
conservation. In order to fully understand how the Historic
Urban Landscape must be defined, I aimed the research
toward recent applications of the HUL Approach in appropriate
precedents. Two precedents were selected, one of which is
quoted as a pronounced success: the City of Ballarat in Australia. The other precedent consists of the three World
Heritage Sites on the Swahili Coast of East Africa: the Island of
Mozambique, the Stone Town of Zanzibar and Lamu Old Town
in Kenya. The latter precedent is perceived by me as an
example of an incomplete application of the HUL Approach,
due to the initial inconclusive definition of the historic urban
landscape. The study concludes with recommendations on the
diverse layers that should represent the historic urban
landscape of historic Pretoria. These should include but may
not be limited to: site topography, geomorphology, hydrology
and natural features, historic and contemporary built
environments, infrastructure, open spaces and gardens, land
use patterns, spatial organizations, perceptions, visual
relationships, social and cultural practices, and values and
economic processes. I have applied my research to the history
of Pretoria to portray the richness of the layers, and have
endeavoured to describe the many and varied role-players that
are still represented by the diverse cultures that live as a
collective community in the capital city of the New South
Africa. Limitations to the study include: available literature on
the implementation of the HUL Approach and the collective
community’s view on the impact of the contemporary history of
Pretoria. The latter is expected to emerge resolutely from the
involvement of the local community during the actual
implementation of the Historic Urban Landscape Approach.
