Inthisdayandage,historicbuildingsstillaboundinmanymetropoliseswherenewofficecomplexesandresidentialdevelopmentsproliferate.Whereasnearlyeveryoneagreesinprinciplethathistoricbuildingscarrycultural,educationalorartisticvalue,whenitcomestothecompetinginterestsofpreservinghistoricbuildingsandconstructingnewones,peopleholddivergentviews.Someassertthatoldbuildingsshouldbetorndowntocreateampleroomfornewconstructions.Personally,Ithinktheirviewhasbothmeritanddemerit.
Granted,thedevelopmentofmoderncities,bothinpopulationsizeandinfunctionality,necessitatestheremovalofcertainexistingstructureswhosehistorycanoftenbetracedbacktocenturiesago.Inthefirstplace,newconstructionsmustbeproposedandcarriedouttoaccommodatethemarkedly-increasingurbanpopulation.Giventhatalmostallthepresent-daycitiesarealreadypackedwithplacesofresidence,commerceandrecreationandthelandavailablefornewhousingdevelopmentsisincreasinglyscarce,somehistoricbuildingsmustbedemolishedtomakeroomformorecompact,high-riseconstructions.Secondly,thefast-pacedautomatedanddigitizedmoderncitylifehasrenderedsomeunremarkableoldbuildingsredundant.Evenifwerenovatedorremodeledtheseoldstructurestomeettherequirementsofcontemporaryurbanlifethatisbestcharacterizedbyitsdynamismandconvenience,theutilityofretrofittedoldbuildingswouldstillpalecomparedtothatofthemodernbuildingstailored-madeformodernfunctions.Nevertheless,thereareotherconsiderationsthatshouldbegivenprecedenceovertheutilitarianvalueofhistoricbuildings.Firstandforemost,somehistoricbuildingsuniquelyrepresentspecifichistoricaleventsorfigure.Ifsuchstructureswereallrazed,accuraterepresentationofthecorrespondingeventsandfigureswouldbeoutofthequestion.Further,somehistoricbuildingspossessexceptionalestheticvalueandmerereplicationordocumentationcanbynomeansdemonstratethesuperiorcraftsmanshipinthemasvividly.Additionally,manyhistoricvernaculardwellingsembodythedistinctivelifestyleofethnicminoritygroups.Itwouldbeanethnologicalcatastropheifallthesedwellingswereknockeddownforthesakeofcurrenturbanneeds.
Inthefinalanalysis,Iconcedethatthedemolitionofsomehistoricbuildingsisinevitableintheprocessofurbandevelopment.However,itwouldbeerroneousandimprudentifwefailtoacknowledgethatsomeoldbuildingsaretoosignificanthistorically,estheticallyorethnologicallytodismantle.Onbalance,Iamconvincedthaturbanadvancementandthepreservationofsignificanthistoricbuildingsarenotnecessarilymutuallyexclusiveandurbandevelopersmustnotindiscriminatelymeetmodernneedsattheexpenseofthehistoricbuildingsthathavenotablehistorical,estheticorethnologicalvalue.
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