The Heritage-Making Conundrum in Asian Cities: Real, Transformed and Imagined Legacies

The process of heritage-making is far from straightforward. Defining the meaning of heritage in young nations and cities where land availability is limited is a challenging exercise. It often crosses the paths of history, religion, memory-shaping, development, and identity-building. It requires fluent communication channels between civil society, local organisations and governments. Willingness to cooperate from all the parties involved is essential; dialogue a must. In land-scarce or densely populated Asian cities, expansion and growth is colliding with the preservation of legacies, the past and memory. This paper examines regional case studies from Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore, where preservation of cultural patrimony, development and daily life follow conflicting paths. It sheds light on the policies behind heritage-making, where the interaction with concepts such as memory, identity, urban planning, progress, and nature, creates complex situations and requires imaginative resolutions.