الفهرس Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
It is commonly accepted that an individual has a right to participate through a moral and ethical belief in democracy. Underlying such right is a corresponding responsibility towards the society in which he lives. The responsibility for making decisions is therefore two-way. Decision makers of the planning and development processes need to take into account the needs of community groups and individuals. Community groups, on the other hand, have a responsibility towards making a balanced decision. The significance of public participation is evident in the resulting socio-economic developments. As meeting social needs would evidently result in greater support for more effective and efficient developments.
One of the major domains that is in urgent need of-introducing participatory actions is that of. the conservation and management of urban heritage. Preserving the cultural identity of the city is a significant dimension of its sustainable development. However, There have been much debate recently over management policies and intervention issues in historically significant areas. Conservation projects are mainly criticized for ignoring the needs of the communities of the environments in which they are implemented. Therefore, it is important to develop new management tools that will account for urban changes, while developing appropriate policies which account for the public preferences and interests.It is crucial to increase the public and stakeholders’ participation in all decision makings, particularly when issues of historical management and conservation are present. As these usually appear in conflict with the interests of specific sectors of society, public participation would be most effective in this case. The people who are going to be mostly affected by the development ought to be the ones who are consu}ted. As participation is contextual, some guidance is required for applying the process regionally. Tools and methodologies are to be developed for gathering and recording information linking interventions affecting the quality of heritage environments to the preferences of the relevant community, at all levels of management.