Much of the current debate on how we should preserve our cultural heritage revolves around urban sites – historic monuments in urban settings, historic districts, or complete historic towns.

The growing complexity of urban heritage conservation makes reaching a consensus on how to manage urban heritage difficult. Additionally, the sharp increase in the world's population now living in urban areas, combined with a lack of policies to facilitate a sustainable use of heritage assets means the pressure on historic sites is set to rise. Unless new and innovative ways of managing these sites can be agreed on, there is a real danger that historic cities as we know them today will not survive the first decades of the 21 st century....

The Historic Urban Landscape: managing heritage in an urban century offers a comprehensive overview of the intellectual developments in urban conservation. The book examines its modern interpretations and critique and the way in which the classical approach has been challenged by the evolution of the conceptual and operational context of urban management. Analyses are provided of how World Heritage sites are managed - with associated debates and decisions – to inform the development of local urban conservation policies and practices.

The authors offer unique insights from UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and the book is richly illustrated with colour photographs. Examples are drawn from urban heritage sites worldwide – from Timbuktu to Liverpool – to demonstrate key issues and best practice in urban conservation today.

The book offers an invaluable resource for architects, planners, surveyors and engineers worldwide working in heritage conservation, as well as for local authority conservation officers and managers of heritage sites.