The aestheticization of the urban landscape of Constantine’s safeguarded sector: actors, forms and appropriation

Abstract

: The purpose of this article is to analyze the multiple forms of the aestheticization of the historic urban landscape, as well as the impact of these practices on the quality, image and identity of heritage spaces, and their appropriation by users and residents. The safeguarded sector of the city of Constantine has undergone a profound aestheticization operation of its built heritage and public space. However, some operations were deficient and they have damaged the historic urban landscape. This raises questions about the reason of this situation, especially, the threat to the image and the identity of the heritage areas. Several hypotheses can be envisaged, including the lack of heritage culture among public stakeholders, ignorance of the status of the safeguarded sector and some management aspects. To confirm this, we adopt a qualitative approach based on the use of several data collection instruments concerning several intervention operations undertaken during the last decade. This research shows that the process of the aestheticization has had several qualities and shortcomings in terms of the requirements of respecting the historical character, the quality of public spaces, and the response to the expectations of users. Understanding the gap could lead to a renewal of the interventions’ modalities in order to preserve and modernize correctly the heritage areas.