The Department of Economics of Near East University hosted Glafkos Constantinides, who carries out activities not only in the field of sociology and economy but also in the field of preservation, restoration of historical sites in order to provide contribution to a sustainable economic growth through a creative combination of the legacy of the past with innovative ideas aimed at shaping the future.
According to the press info released by the Directorate of Press and Public Relations Office of Near East University, Glafkos Constantinides, who is one of the members of the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, MRTPI (Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (UK professional organization), FRSA (Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK), and former member of ETEK (Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber), came together with the students studying at the Department of Economics of Near East University and provided them with information regarding the basic principles of the cultural heritage economy.
Highlighting that the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage is the organ responsible for the selection of heritage sites to benefit from EU and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) supported conservation works island-wide, Mr. Constantinides states that European Union is the largest contributor to the works carried out in Cyprus by the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage. Underlining that many projects regarding the preservation and restoration of the island-wide cultural heritage in Cyprus had been financed by the European Union, He shared former and present images of historical sites that they restored in various cities of the island. Expressing that the old and ruined historical sites actually have a serious potential in terms of creating economic value and tourism revenue, Constantinides underlines the importance of adding a function to the buildings by preserving the originality in ensuring a sustainable economic growth. He emphasizes that the restoration of buildings without creating economic value is not sustainable and is seen as expenditure item in government budgets.
Pointing to the fact that the economic values of the cultural heritage should be at the forefront while preserving and restoring them through merging tradition and creativity aiming at generating tourism revenue and contributing to economic growth, Glafkos Constantinides stated that this fact has attracted the attention of many authorities of the state. “Great financial resource is required for the renewal and functionalization of historical sites which have economic value. Heritage is considered now as an important lever for economic development. Heritage is thus seen as a resource, which not only preserves historic memory but, if used creatively, can also bring various social and economic benefits. It raises the profile of places by adding functioning and making them more competitive in the contemporary world. With this fact in mind, the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage benefit from European Union and United Nations Development Program to carry out activities regarding the preservation and restoration of the historical sites island-wide in order to provide contributions to economy and create tourism revenue” said he.