Rurbanities: Recording Rural Urbanities
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2016-12-14

This paper will explore community‐led archaeology in transitional and interstitial spaces in urban areas –rurbanities(1). Terms with negative connotations, such as ‘residual’, ‘marginalised’ and ‘in‐between‐ the‐buildings’, are often used to define rurbanities, implying that these areas are uninspiring, left‐over spaces within the urban fabric. On the contrary, rurbanities are very fertile ground, and have been chosen for their heritage significance, reclaimed and re‐ interpreted by local communities who have a connection with these places.

Within  the  framework  of  Scotland’s  Urban  Past  (SUP),  this  paper  will  illustrate  case  studies  of community groups, who are leading on projects discovering, recording and celebrating the heritage of rurbanities around Scotland’s towns and cities. Groups in Edinburgh, Livingston and Dundee are investigating the blueprint of urban areas, focusing on the heritage between the buildings to record and tell the story of the places – secret gardens, skateparks and re‐ruralised areas – that matter to them.
In line with the UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, the notion of urban areas as  a  living  organism  made  of  tangible  and  intangible  elements,  and  a  complex  system  of  social, economic and environmental values will be examined. According to this notion, local people are in charge of identifying what is significant and meaningful  to  them, breaking down  the homogenised heritage  narrative.  This  approach  ensures  that  in‐between  places  –such  as  rurbanities  –  are  re‐signified by local users, and gain new value and a more prominent role in urban archaeology. With SUP, for the first time, members of the public are able to add new local ‘rurban’ landmarks, and contribute  their  findings  and  memories  of  these  places  to  the  National  Record  of  architecture, archaeology and industry. The aim is to demonstrate that rurbanities are not mere residual spaces indeed, because of their transitional nature and local importance, they are heritage to be interpreted, recorded and shared with everyone.

1
Rurban: Pronunciation: /ˈrəːb(ə)n/
adj. Of or pertaining to a location which has both urban and rural characteristics (Wiktionary)
Rurbanities are here intended by the Author as the noun referring to rurban locations.

Chiara Ronchini, Scotland’s Urban Past, Historic Environment Scotland.


Session 3: Urban | | Rural
CHAT Annual Conference - Orkney 2016: Rurality