CMS Seminar Series: Layered continuity as a resource for sustainable heritage management in Macau presented by Dr. Maria José de Freitas
*** INVITATION ***
Cordial invitation to attend the seminar presented by Dr. Maria José de Freitas, with details as follows:
Schedule: 24 March, Tuesday, 15:30-16:30
Venue: Cultural Building (E34), G021 CMS meeting room
Language: English
All are welcome!
Abstract:
Macau’s urban identity has evolved over more than five centuries of sustained cultural interaction, producing a complex Historic Urban Landscape shaped by layered cultural, social, and spatial processes. This long-term continuity represents a critical resource for sustainable heritage management, as it embodies accumulated knowledge, social capital, and both tangible and intangible values embedded within the urban fabric.
Since the sixteenth century, the interaction between Chinese traditions and global influences introduced by the Portuguese has generated a distinctive cultural landscape. Architecture, urban morphology, religious practices, and everyday life coexist as interrelated layers, reflecting resilience and adaptability and reinforcing an understanding of heritage as a living, evolving system rather than a static condition.
Against this backdrop, this lecture examines the Historic Urban Landscape [HUL] framework as a driver of sustainability, demonstrating how it integrates conservation, development, and governance. Recent evaluations of Macau’s Historic Centre highlight the need for long-term, integrated management approaches that recognize historical layering, support community engagement, and respond to contemporary urban pressures while safeguarding cultural significance.
Bio of Dr. Maria José de Freitas:
MARIA JOSÉ DE FREITAS is an architect who holds a PhD in the Heritage of Portuguese Influence from the University of Coimbra. An active professional, she is the author of several renovation projects in Portugal, China and Macau SAR. In 2002, she won the ARCASIA AWARD in the Architectural Renovation category for the musealisation of five heritage houses on Taipa Island in Macau. In 1993, she led the project to renovate Macau’s D. Pedro V Theatre, which was added to the UNESCO Macau Heritage List in 2005. The following year, she coordinated the revitalisation of St Paul’s Ruins, which were also included in the Macau Heritage List. From 2003 to 2005, she coordinated the Sintra World Heritage Centre, managing the Sintra Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO site in Portugal. She has been President of ICOMOS ISCSBH [International Scientific Committee on Shared Built Heritage] since January 2021 and has been a member of the Cultural Heritage Council of Macau since 2023. Maria José de Freitas is a dynamic and committed member of: ICOMOS; the Asian Academy for Heritage Management; the Order of Architects; the Macau Architects Association; the International Union of Architects; and the World Citizens Organisation.
