Anjali Krishan Sharma – författare

This book presents peer-reviewed articles from the 3rd International Conference on Opportunities and Challenges for a Resilient Future (ICOCRF 2024) held at Dehradun, India. In recent times, the world has faced unprecedented challenges affecting its inhabitants adversely. Natural disasters, climate change, and pandemic have affected public health and food securities causing economic and social disruption that has placed millions of livelihoods at great risk. It is the need of the hour to strategize and mitigate these challenges and provide solutions for the consequences of these calamities and to align with SDG goals in delivering a meaningful progress for people and the world by creating a brighter future for all. In alignment with the recent emergencies faced by global communities and sustainable development goals, this book brings with it the relevant dialogues to address the above.

The book addresses the contribution of Intangible Cultural Heritage to the sustainable management of historic cities and towns. Through the unique, diverse, and dynamic illustrations from Asia, it provides insights into the interrelationships of intangible and tangible cultural attributes and their significance on the sustainability of these areas.  Historic cities and towns, large and small, along with their natural and man-made environments have a distinct identity and embody the values of traditional urban cultures.  Evolved by tangible built forms and intangible elements, as cultural practices and expressions- meanings and values attributed to them, they are in a state of continuous change. The built environment acts as a ‘place’ or a ‘site’ where most of these expressions are shaped. These areas are significant for their social cohesion and economic stronghold that dates back over generations and centuries. Over the years, there have been many theoretical discussions about the interrelationships of tangible and intangible but is challenging to manage in practice, especially in historic urban areas. There is a lack of understanding of the complexity and pervasiveness of intangible values and their direct relationship with the physical structure of the town/city. This book strives to address the various challenges, emphasising the intricate relationships between the tangible and intangible aspects of historic cities in the Asian context.