Risk Assessment and Comparison for Historic Sites
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56261/built.v24.265524Keywords:
Risk assessment, Historic sites, Historic urban landscape concept, People nature culture approaches, Urban planning measureAbstract
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya City Municipality is the location of the Historic City of Ayutthaya, registered as a World Heritage Site, due to an abundance of archaeological sites. However, rapid urbanization poses multi-dimensional risks to specific historic sites. This research aimed to assess and compare urban development risks to these sites based on three conceptual approaches: the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), People–Nature–Culture (PNC) and Cultural Landscape and Contemporary Urban Development (CL & CUD), and to analyze key risk factors affecting historic sites in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya City Municipality. The instruments consisted of a field survey and Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE). For assessment based on HUL approach, 27 sites were at low risk, including 18 temples, with key risk factors related to proximity to water and roads, surrounding buildings, and land use. Based on the PNC approach, temples showed the greatest risk, with 9 at moderate risk, mainly associated with water proximity, flooding, and building design. Based on the CL & CUD approach, temples again constituted the largest category, with 32 at moderate risk. Key risk factors included proximity to water and roads, surrounding buildings and land use. Preventive conservation should incorporate overlay measures, setback and special control zones, controls on the types and scales of surrounding land use, and the preservation of green spaces as buffer zones to enhance resilience. Integrated approaches should promote stakeholder participation and incentives, while conservation measures should be prioritized across short, medium, and long term actions to support sustainable historic site conservation.
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