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CONSERVING CULTURAL HERITAGE IN AN URBAN SETTING AND THE 
POTENTIAL ROLE OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY 
Tingfun YEH 
Chinese Society of Urban Design, Taipei, Taiwan 
23-5, Lane 23, Yungkang Street, Taipei, Taiwan, 106 
yehtf@vahoo.com 
KEY WORDS: Cultural Heritage, Urban, Change, Conservation, Multimedia, Education 
ABSTRACTS 
The conservation of cultural heritage faces the harshest challenge when physical reconfiguration is equated with modernization, and 
economic transformation with progress. Furthermore, with globalization in full gallop, the inherent “value” of cultural heritage is 
oftentimes challenged. The issue becomes all the more complex when the quest for “authenticity” comes into play. This is 
particularly true in urban communities where “change” is rapid in pace and extensive in scale. Too often, the “authenticity” of a 
historic place seems to be compromised. Or is it? 
This paper begins with a selective review of key international charters and documents to trace the evolution of “authenticity” as well 
as “integrity” in the evaluation of historic resources and related treatment. This is followed by a brief recount of the parallel evolution 
from the recognition of historic sites to the emergence of places of cultural heritage. 
The role of the community and other related implications are then briefly examined through the experiences of three historic urban 
neighborhoods, including Chinatown, Boston, United States, the historic Da-Dao-Cheng District, Taipei, Taiwan, and the ancient 
town quarters of Lijiang, China — a Cultural Heritage Sites inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1977. 
Ultimately, by conserving living heritage places, the diversity in culture is kept alive. For historic urban neighborhoods to thrive with 
their authenticity and integrity intact, building a community that is well educated, informed, and active in historic conservation is one 
of the keys. In this respect, the application of multimedia technology in consort with the world-wide-web will be vital. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
While both Chinatown in Boston and Da-Dao-Cheng in Taipei 
trace their beginning to the early 19 th century, the ancient town 
of Lijing dates back to the late 12 th century. The differences in 
their respective historical lineage notwithstanding, all three are 
densely populated and highly urbanized. In addition, all three 
are manifestations of rich layers of cultural fabrics accumulated 
through time. Today, each is faced with the difficult task to find 
the “right” balance between conservation and development. The 
quest for safeguaiding authenticity and/or integrity must 
contend with the inevitability and desirability of changes. 
The objectives of this short paper are thus two-pronged: 
1. Re-examine the distinction between authenticity and 
integrity in relation to the conservation of a historic urban 
place; and 
2. Review and explore the role of the multimedia technology 
therein. 
1.1 Chinatown, Boston 
• Population: 4300 
• Land area: 19 hectares (46 acres) 
Boston’s Chinatown, a historic immigrant neighborhood built 
on landfill, dates back to the mid 19 th century when successive 
waves of immigrants began to arrive en mass in 1850s. Before 
the Chinese established a firm foothold in the area in 1890s, it 
had been home to the Irish, Central European Jews, and Syrians. 
The neighborhood’s proximity to the railroad terminal and the 
city’s administrative and entertainment center also attracted the 
thriving leather industry. 
Today, it is the fifth largest Chinatown in the United States. 
Intermixed with the Greek Revival styled rowhouses that have 
been turned into shophouses are loft buildings constructed at the 
turn of the last century for the wholesale trade of textile and the 
manufacturing industry of leather. Adorned with various 
Chinese emblems, they dominate the streetscape of Chinatown. 
In addition to a thriving businesses community, the 
neighborhood has also developed an underlying support 
infrastructure comprised of family associations, service 
providers, and advocacy organizations that serves the needs of 
the Chinese community in New England at large. For many of 
the Asian immigrants and transient visitors alike, Chinatown 
help maintain a ethnic identity and/or a distinct lifestyles. 
Coming into the 21 st century, Chinatown faces the expanded 
presence of non-Chinese speaking immigrants from other parts 
of Southeast Asia and the impending transformation of the 
nearby adult entertainment district, a.k.a. Combat Zone, into a 
downtown cultural hub officially known as the Midtown 
Cultural District. In addition, the community still has to contend 
with its long-term nemesis, major medical and educational 
institutions that were introduced into its folds with the City’s 
urban renewal efforts in 1960s. 
To help deter institutional encroachment and gentrification, the 
community forced the City into a joint development of the 1990 
Chinatown Community Plan. The accompanying rezoning plan 
also established the first Chinatown District in Boston. In 1995, 
Chinatown was selected along with nine other neighborhoods in 
Boston to participate in the nation’s first urban, multi-district 
Main Street Program under the auspices of the National Trust 
for Historic Preservation.