ECONOMICS UNIQUENESS

110 ■ THE ECONOMICS OF UNIQUENESS
• We seek to preserve our past because we believe in the right of our cities and
countryside to be aesthetically pleasing; and
• We seek to preserve because we have discovered that preservation can serve
an important human and social purpose in our society.
While two diff erent countries may place slightly diff erent emphases on the
factors listed above, for the most part there would be broad agreement as to “why
we preserve.” What varies widely, however, is the matter of “how we preserve.”
Designating a property or a group of properties as “historic” has diff erent
socio-cultural and economic implications in diff erent parts of the world. No
meaningful evaluation of the likely eff ect of heritage listing on real estate could be
undertaken without knowing what the consequences of that listing would be. Th e
diff erences found in just a small sampling of countries refl ect the wide diversity of
the impact and protection that heritage designation provides.
In Azerbaijan, for instance, historic properties are identifi ed by the Department
of Archaeology and Architecture of the Academy of Sciences. Heritage
properties of national signifi cance may only be owned by the state. While the
demolition of heritage property is illegal, the law is rarely enforced. Th ere are
conservation zones covering groups of properties. Th e responsibility for the
protection of Icheri Sheher (which means “inner city” in Azeri)—the historic
core in the center of the capital, Baku—was transferred to the national government
aft er the site was placed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage in Danger.
(See box 5.1.)
In Brazil, since 1936 the heritage designated to be of national importance is
listed by IPHAN—an acronym that stands, in Portuguese, for the national institute
of historic and artistic patrimony, which is linked to the federal Ministry
of Culture. Iconic buildings, historic towns, and historic city cores are protected
under safeguard policy and specifi c regulations, including guidelines for maintenance
and repairs. However, the listing status acquired by nearly 1,000 buildings
and 50 historic city cores doesn’t necessarily ensure that these places will
receive public funds and resources for their routine maintenance or for repairs
and capital improvement works. Most of the conservation and heritage building
repair programs are currently fi nanced by partnerships of state enterprises, private
foundations, and local public funds (Taddei Neto 2001).
In Cuba, all buildings and neighborhoods built prior to 1930 in Old Havana
are designated as a conservation zone. All of the properties are state-owned,
although many are leased. Any changes of this regulation have to be approved by
the Historian’s Offi ce of Havana.
In England, most pre-1830 buildings, high value structures built between 1830
and 1935, and exceptional structures built aft er 1935 are considered architectural
heritage. Th ere is both a national list, maintained by English Heritage, and local