Personnalités
Geddes, Patrick (biologist, sociologist and urban planner, 1854-1932)
Résumé en anglais
India’s cultural heritage is so complex and overwhelming that the concern for a timelyconservation often concentrates on the historic monuments of outstanding importance, leaving less concern for ordinary heritage that otherwise play a vital role in the immediate environment, where people live and work.
Often people get so accustomed to the place they are living, that they hardly notice the qualities in the build environment, and due to the increase of population the sheer pressures for improved housing provide a lucrative market for real estate development. The general attitude is possibly relating to the idea that India is a developing country and people are looking to the future only. In this process of modernization there is an imminent risk that historic buildings and heritage values are being irrevocably lost, even before they have been identified, documented and appreciated.
Far ahead of his time the Scottish town planner, Patrick Geddes advocated a ‘conservative surgery’ takingpoint of departure in a civic survey of the whole set of existing conditions. Engaged with planning of eighteen Indian cities between 1915 and 1919 he left an important legacy that remains an underrated source of inspiration for modern city improvement less expensive and productive of more enjoyment. Serampore, previously a small village on the Hooghly River, was in Danish possession for about 100 years from 1755 to 1845. During this time the place developed as a thriving trading post, and morerecently it has become an industrial and commercial town that forms part of the greater Kolkata urban conurbation. In a nutshell the town represents all the problems facing conservation of heritage and urban development in India due to rapid population growth, rising land value, poverty and lack of proper sanitation and infrastructure. For about five years the National Museum of Denmark has been concerned with conservation of the Indo-Danish Heritage working in close cooperation with local partners. This presentation explains the context of work and justifies why conservation of heritage can be of great benefit to all concerned.