Managing change in heritage cities – evolving understanding of the historic urban landscape approach in Khiva, Uzbekistan

World Heritage City Khiva
In the past, the city of Khiva in Uzbekistan was an important stop along the ancient Silk Road. Impressive mosques, madrasahs, and palaces were built, many of which exist until today. In 1990 the walled city centre, Itchan Kala, was inscribed on the World Heritage list of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). Next to 50 listed monuments, the status also protects the traditional urban fabric and vernacular clay architecture of the site.

Today, Itchan Kala is one of Uzbekistan’s major tourist attractions. While tourism is a welcomed source of income, it also brings along urban transformations that jeopardise the historic heritage of the city. Contemporary changes in Khiva raise the question: how can conservation and development be reconciled in the urban regeneration of Itchan Kala?

Historic urban landscape approach
In 2011, UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape that aims to facilitate development while ensuring urban conservation. Historic urban landscape is understood as integrating cultural, social, economic and environmental elements. It also includes the broader urban context in the conception of urban heritage. The approach constitutes a shift from mere maintenance towards guiding the nature of transformation.

For the management of urban heritage, the Recommendation suggests attempts should be made to integrate conservation in wider urban planning processes and to involve a broad range of stakeholders. It highlights the need for a participatory approach to urban conservation and presents a set of tools that should be used for successful implementation. Complementary documents further define critical steps to implement the recommendation.

Heritage development in Khiva
In Khiva, the development of an integrated management plan for Itchan Kala was started in 2013 and incorporated many principles of the new Recommendation. However, the management plan has never been officially approved. Similarly, the proposed buffer zone for the World Heritage site has not been implemented yet. At the same time, municipal authorities have carried out large-scale demolitions in the historical neighbourhoods of Dishan Kala, which led to the replacement of hundreds of residents, the removal of the central bazaar, and severe transformations of the urban fabric in the immediate surroundings of the World Heritage site. Most of these spaces have been redeveloped for touristic purposes. Within Itchan Kala, modern touristic infrastructure is increasingly transforming the traditional typologies of domestic architecture and pushing residents out of the city centre.

Reconciling conservation and development?
The developments in Khiva show a disconnection between heritage preservation efforts and urban developments that are driven by investments in tourism. Despite these conflicts, some steps towards a more integrated heritage management have been taken. The case study demonstrates how urban heritage is prone to development pressures. There are numerous demands on the conservation and development of historic cities and it will remain a challenge to balance and reconcile these claims. This also points to the importance of a broad negotiation process that includes all relevant stakeholders, most importantly the local communities who are the primary and traditional users of their heritage cities.