Interventions and transformation in a historical landscaped public space: the Plaza de San Francisco in Cartagena, Spain

The reform of historical squares is strongly influenced by attempts to satisfy all demands for services and installations, meaning that all too frequently the reform overlooks the singular circumstances of the space, which may lead not only to a change in form, but also to a change in use and meaning, causing a substantial portion of the cultural value to be lost, unlike that which usually occurs with constructions that form part of our heritage.
Aspects of city planning or the indications of International Council (ICOMOS-IFLA) are frequently forgotten.
The Plaza de San Francisco (Cartagena) is one of the oldest public spaces in Europe that has maintained its use since it formed part of the Roman forum in the times of Augustus (II century). The present day square arose from the disentailment of the Church in 1835, becoming to be recognised as a public landscaped space in the middle of the XIX century and reaching its full splendour between 1884 and the 1930s.
Subsequent interventions conserved its use as a landscaped square until the 1980s.
We looked at the immediate effects of the actual interventions on our cultural heritage, and discuss the effectiveness of present regulations on the intervention of such spaces.

VI International Conference on Landscape and Urban Horticulture

M.A. Guillén, J. Ochoa

historic centres, open spaces, restoration, historic landscapes, conservation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1189.12