WASHINGTON – How can we balance the necessity of urban development with the need to preserve cultural and historic sites? What is the role of architects, city planners, historians and the general public in this process? Can cultural preservation change society? These were some of the questions discussed by Dr. Kateryna Goncharova in a lecture on “Ukrainian Cultural Heritage as a Force for Social Change.” Delivered on May 29 at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, her talk was co-sponsored by the Washington chapter of the Shevchenko Scientific Society.
Dr. Goncharova heads the Scientific Research Section of the Ukrainian State Research and Project Institute for Historic Preservation. She has worked in research, management and scientific support in the development of projects for the preservation of several UNESCO World Heritage sites.
As a Fulbright scholar at the University of Maryland for the past two and a half years, Dr. Goncharova studied the U.S. experience in historic preservation based on public-private partnership, community engagement and neighborhood revitalization. Her goal is to modify these approaches and implement them in Ukraine.
Cultural Attaché Olha Ivanova opened the event. The speaker was introduced by Dr. Bohdana Urbanovych, president of the Washington chapter of the Shevchenko Scientific Society.
Dr. Goncharova pointed out that, during times of change, the cultural heritage is vulnerable. It can, however, be a source of vitality. “Current conditions in Ukraine provide an opportunity to rediscover and strengthen the potential of cultural resources to enhance and empower the integrity of the nation.” According to the speaker, “the preservation of Ukraine’s historic built environment has become a focal point for public activism that has led to the empowerment of civil society, economic development and a powerful enhancement of Ukrainian identity.” Public protests against destructive building projects, the development of tourism and an upsurge of patriotism exemplify these results.
In her presentation, Dr. Goncharova showed images of recent preservation activities in various cities and neighborhoods “that have engaged a variety of stakeholders for the mutual benefit and sustainability of the site and the community.” She compared U.S. historic locations such as Frederick, Md., and Gettysburg, Pa., with sites in Ukraine such as Kyiv’s Maidan.
The speaker also discussed one of Ukraine’s failures, the Contract Square in Kyiv, where public protest could not bring about a favorable result. In response to a question about Russia, she said that, while that country has some excellent urban planners who have created perfect civic spaces, those spaces have remained empty. That is because Russians, cowed by their regime, have been unable to create a civil society to fill them.