Publicomos

Réf.

42814

Type

conference item

Titre

Regenerating the Heart of Rural Ontario: New Life for Old Mills

Langues

English

Auteurs

Farmer, Carly

Lieu de publication

Charenton-le-Pont

Pays de publication

France

Maison d'édition

ICOMOS

Date

2018

Titre de conférence

ICOMOS 19th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium "Heritage and Democracy"

Lieu de conférence

New Delhi, India

Date de conférence

13-14th December 2017

Mots-clés

sustainability / equity / development / industrial heritage / mills / rehabilitation / revitalization / economic aspects / social aspects / sustainable development / public awareness / communities / stakeholders

Pays mentionnés

Canada

Résumé en anglais

Old mills are at the heart of most towns in Ontario, and mark the start of the industrial boom which provided good middle class jobs for nearly everyone for over a century. However, from 2002-2012, Ontario lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs equivalent to 30% of the industry. Typical of many rural post-industrial communities in Canada, Smiths Falls is left with the challenges of a shrinking population and underused industrial buildings.This thesis explores innovative ways to adaptively reuse a 19th century mill complex in Smiths Falls in a way that positively impacts the region by reconnecting the community with their industrial heritage. The project uses the four-pillar model of sustainability to investigate the role of social equity, cultural vitality, economic prosperity and environmental balance in the rehabilitation process and how this contributes tocommunity resilience. The methodology integrates a bottom-up community approach within the structure of the ICOMOS-TICCIH Dublin Principles. The first step is documenting and understanding the local context including engagement with multiple stakeholders (local youth, indigenous groups, and visitors). Next, is planning to protect and conserve values of the site, and thirdly, proposing an intervention which meets the needs and desires of the community. The final step is to interpret the local industrial cultural landscape within the larger context of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site. This study of the mills in Smiths Falls could serve as a case study and model for the rehabilitation ofother industrial sites in rural North America and beyond.

Document joint

31._ICOA_1536_Farmer_SM.pdf

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike (BY-NC-SA)