Potentials of Industrial Heritage for Tourism in San Antonio: Conservation for Sustainable Development

Sebnem Hoskara (Visiting Professor, Urban and Regional Planning Program, UTSA)
Sedef Doganer (UTSA)

'Industrial heritage consists of the remains of industrial culture which are of historical, technological, social, architectural or scientific value. These remains consist of buildings and machinery, workshops, mills and factories, mines and sites for processing and refining, warehouses and stores, places where energy is generated, transmitted and used, transport and all its infrastructure, as well as places used for social activities related to industry such as housing, religious worship or education' (The Nizhny Tagil Charter for the Industrial Heritage, 2003).

This article aims to discuss and examine the effectiveness of conservation of industrial heritage for tourism planning and development, with a specific focus on the city of San Antonio – the fastest growing city with the seventh largest population in the United States. Specifically, it reviews first, the evolution of the conservation of industrial heritage in San Antonio since 1990s, within the context of industrial heritage conservation movement at the international level, based on a thorough survey and mapping of industrial heritage sites in the city. Secondly, it investigates how conservation of industrial heritage efforts relate to tourism development, with a specific focus on the planning and design of townscapeof industrial districts. The article emphasizes that industrial heritage conservation, which involves not only adaptive re-use but also the creation of cultural and economic values of obsolete spaces by transforming them into viable places, can act as a means to sustainable - tourism - development through the establishment of comprehensive conservation plans for designated industrial heritage areas.