Athena Project: Prototype of Management Plan for Enhancement of New Actualities

Description

This book takes part of the dissemination results plan established in the ATHENA project and, in particular, in the dissemination plan of work package 4 (WP4) devoted to the development of a management plan, guidelines and a usage manual for compatible utilization of ancient theatres, of which the IRP team has been leader. Despite archaeological heritage being a limited resource, the reuse of old structures for cultural activities is a growing activity in Europe as a useful strategy for activating tourism and, in this line the ancient theatres offer a wide range of opportunities. Nevertheless, the implementation of cultural programs can easily have irreversible consequences. Multipurpose activities such as festivals, concerts and theatre performances that are carried out in a large majority of Greek and Roman theatrical structures in the Mediterranean Basin require modern facilities that can cause a notable impact and the subsequent deterioration of sites and structures, which is difficult to manage and control. The use of these monuments also causes environmental and urban management problems, so that an optimal balance between sustainable use and preservation must be achieved. The ATHENA project has been proposed for developing management plans that enable managers to minimize the possible impact of cultural and socio-economic development on the ancient theatres through the application of appropriate overall strategies for preserving tangible and intangible aspects of heritage. This book includes not only the management plan, as the main result of work package 4, but also the methodological and operational guidelines applied in developing the document. We hope this book will be a useful tool for researchers as well as for costumers, stakeholders, and institutions responsible for the safeguard of ancient theatres.
Bilingual edition: Spanish & English.