HERITAGE + TOURISM
The Old City of Tbilisi is viewed from inside a cable car.
See: Harris-Brandts, S., & Gogishvili, D. (2020). Lofty Ideals in Aerial Connectivity: Ideology in the Urban Cable Car Network of Tbilisi, Georgia. Eurasian Geography & Economics, T. Taylor & Francis.
Heritage and Tourism
Concerns over the impacts of heritage tourism on representations of local history stem not only from the risks of essentializing and fetishizing local cultures, but from omitting minority narratives. The omission of such narratives becomes especially problematic when heritage is used to support a version of the past which is politicized. When heritage is identified for its potential as an economic resource and catalyst for urban regeneration, buildings are assigned value not in accordance with their contemporary significance to local society, but on state politico-economic terms. The overwhelming use of heritage to bolster the economy means that rather than a testament of the past, heritage is a contemporary commodity purposefully created to satisfy contemporary consumption.
Our work on heritage and tourism can be found at:
PUBLICATIONS:
Harris-Brandts, S., & Sichinava, D. (2021). Architecture and friendship among nations: the shifting politics of cultural diplomacy in Tbilisi, Georgia. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 27 (12). Taylor & Francis, 1213-1229.
Harris-Brandts, S., & Sichinava, D. (2021). The Politics of Urban Recovery in a Stalinist-era Resort Town: Heritage Tourism and Displaced Communities in Tskaltubo, Georgia. In Al-Harithy, H. (Ed.), Urban Recovery: Intersecting Displacement with Post War Reconstruction. London: Routledge.
Harris-Brandts, S., & Gogishvili, D. (2020). Lofty Ideals in Aerial Connectivity: Ideology in the Urban Cable Car Network of Tbilisi, Georgia. Eurasian Geography & Economics, T. Taylor & Francis.
Harris-Brandts, S. (2020). [Book Review] Iconic Planned Communities and the Challenge of Change. Corbin Sies, M., Gournay, I, and Freestone, R. (Eds.). University of Pennsylvania Press. Journal of Historical Geography, 110-111.
Gogishvili, D. (2018). Baku formula 1 city circuit: exploring the temporary spaces of exception. Cities, 74, 169-178.
Harris-Brandts, S. (2018). The Role of Architecture in the Republic of Georgia’s European Aspirations. Nationalities Papers. 46 (6), Taylor & Francis, 1118-1135.
Harris-Brandts, S. (2017). ‘Europe Started Here’: Nation Building and Myth Production in the Republic of Georgia, Thresholds Journal. 45, MIT Press, 124-135.
Harris-Brandts, S. (2016). Decentralize, Desecularize, and Deregulate! The transformation of Kutaisi, Georgia. In MONU Journal , 25 Independent Urbanism, 86-91. Bruil & van de Staaij.
Harris-Brandts, S. (2017). Georgia and the South Caucasus. In S. Piesik (Ed.), HABITAT: Vernacular Architecture for a Changing Planet. London, UK: Thames & Hudson.
PRESENTATIONS:
2019 - City Debates 2019: Urban Recovery @ the Intersection of Displacement and Reconstruction Beirut, Lebanon; April 2019, “The Politics of Urban Recovery in a Stalinist-era Resort Town: Heritage Tourism and Displaced Communities in Tskaltubo, Georgia.” Harris-Brandts, S., & Sichinava, D.
2019 - Urban Forum on Land Use and Urban Planning Practices in Cities of EU Associated Countries. Tbilisi, Georgia; March 2019. “Understanding Social Restructuring and Urban Renewal Strategies.” Harris-Brandts, S., & Sichinava, D.
2018 - European Architectural History Network (EAHN). Tallinn, Estonia; June 2018. “Europe’s Own Islamic Architecture: Heritage, Contestation, and Necessity.” Harris-Brandts, S. & Wheeler, A.
2017 - Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Annual Meeting: Cities, Regions and Growth Denver, CO, USA; October 2017 “The Restructuring of Urban Space for Tourism in Post-Revolutionary Batumi, Georgia.” Harris-Brandts, S.
2017 - Space, Society, Politics – The Regional Aspects of Sustainable Development. Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia; June 2017 “Tourism Development During State Building: the Case of Post-Revolutionary Batumi, Georgia.” Harris-Brandts, S.
COURSES
Retreat Urbanism: Muskoka Lakes (Undergraduate Design Studio)
Instructor: S. Harris-Brandts
School: Carleton University, Winter 2022
Retreat Urbanism is broadly defined as development patterns taking place in smaller, leisure-oriented communities driven by a retreat from larger, proximate urban cores—either on a permanent (resettlement) or temporary (vacation) basis. At the same time, these are areas with rich, multi-faceted local histories. They are destinations that have significantly changed over time, taking on a broad range of community place meanings and collective identities, including, most recently, following the dramatic impacts of COVID-19. This studio scrutinizes such sites, viewing them as distinct paradigms of peripheral urbanism and ones intimately linked to national identity and tourism imaginaries. How have these iconic destinations performed as built realities? How have existing communities been impacted by development trajectories? What are new approaches to critical resilience and adaptive reuse that can help us redefine more integrative ‘retreat urbanism’ typologies in our post-pandemic society? Throughout the semester, students concentrate on questions of urban-rural dynamics, guest-host relations, permanent-temporary occupations, destination iconicity, and societal privilege, as they relate to the idea of retreat urbanism. During these investigations, students build their understanding of what is required for such locations to become socially inclusive and economically viable communities.