4CH Interviews – Nikolas Bakirtzis in conversation with Agni Petridou
Another interview by the APAC researchers with a local stakeholder was published as part of Task 7.4 “Dissemination and exploitation activities” of the 4CH project. The 4CH interviews aim to start the experts' discussion about their possible contributions to establishing a future Competence Centre. Moreover, the interviews offer the general public the opportunity to explore the 4CH project through the lenses of Cultural Heritage professionals and researchers. The speakers analyse several topics related to Cultural Heritage
Agni Petridou is a conservation architect & urban planner, and consultant to the Nicosia Municipality. She has extensive experience in the conservation and management of Cultural Heritage in Cyprus. In an interview with her, Nikolas Bakirtzis, Associate Professor at the Cyprus Institute and part of the 4CH local team, discusses the topic of Cultural Heritage conservation and how the future Competence Centre can implement actions at national and international levels. Agni Petridou underlines the importance of such a centre, especially in Cyprus, to fill the gap in coordination and policies in the field of conservation. The problem is the diversity of approaches among stakeholders and the lack of a common language, which prevents the implementation of agreed solutions. Ms Petridou goes on to highlight some of the priority issues in Cyprus, such as the historic city of Nicosia, the importance of urban and landscape conservation, and areas such as the Buffer Zone, the segment of the city that has been stuck since the formal division of Cyprus in 1974. In this context, Ms Petridou proposes that the Competence Centre will work with bi-communal initiatives, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot, and with already established mechanisms such as the Technical Committee and the Nicosia Master Plan. Agni Petridou would like the future Competence Centre to coordinate local institutions and take a leading role in the preservation of cultural heritage, to identify some common strategies for intervention.
