Center for Heritage Conservation, Department of Architecture, College of Architecture/Texas A&M University
In Texas, rural towns located in the state’s inland regions are undergoing both structural and local transformations that are reshaping urban functions, territorial organization, and the relationship between people and their built heritage. This paper offers a reflection on emerging conditions of living in these areas, situated between shifting temporalities and evolving spatial centralities. Drawing from three regional case studies, the analysis provides a basis for potential urban and governance strategies at the intersection of heritage at large, urban planning, and architecture.
In contemporary debates on territorial resilience in relation to heritage preservation, downtown historic districts often face contradictory dynamics: once centers of local economic and social life, many now contend with stagnation and depopulation, resulting in shifting spatial hierarchies and regional disinvestment. This phenomenon is particularly evident in Texas, where numerous rural centers function as pass-by towns, accommodating continuous transience rather than permanent inhabitation.
Aimar F. (2024), The Resilience of Cultural Landscapes: Perspectives from UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-5...
Alford C.G. (2023), “Caldwell, TX. Handbook of Texas Online”, Texas State Historical Association, 20 september [https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook...].
Baker J.W. (1970), A history of Robertson County, Texas, Robertson County Historical Survey Committee, Robertson County, Tennessee, p. 454-554.
Baker T.L. (1991), Ghost towns of Texas, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma.
Baker T.L. (2003), More ghost towns of Texas, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma.
Bargery R. (2005), “The Ethics of Facadism.Pragmatism versus Idealism”, The Building Conservation Directory [https://www.buildingconservation.co...].
Brunetta G., Ceravolo R., Barbieri C.A., Borghini A., de Carlo F. et al. (2019), “Territorial Resilience: Toward a Proactive Meaning for Spatial Planning” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 8, 2286. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082286
Calvino I. (1974), Invisible cities, Secker & Warburg, London, (ed. or. 1972).
Castells M. (1996), The rise of the network society, Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, vol. 1.
Christaller W. (1966), Central places in southern Germany, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, (ed. or. 1933).
Cisneros H., Hendricks D., Clark J.H.C., Fulton W. (2021), The Texas Triangle: An emerging power in the global economy, Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas.
City of Fort Stockton (nd), About Fort Stockton [https://www.cityoffortstockton.com/...].
Delulio C., Qualls G. (2000), Tour guide for the historic homes & churches of Calvert, Texas, Calvert Chamber of Commerce.
DowntownTX.org (nd), Caldwell, Texas. Texas Historical Commission [https://downtowntx.org/caldwell-texas].
Frampton K. (1995), Studies in tectonic culture: The poetics of construction in nineteenth and twentieth century architecture, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Heidegger M. (1971), “Building, dwelling, thinking”, in A. Hofstadter (ed.), Poetry, language, thought, Harper & Row, New York City, p. 145-161.
Ingold T. (2015), The life of lines, Routledge, Milton Park. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315727240
Koolhaas R. (2014), Preservation is overtaking us, GSAPP Books, New York City.
Manzoni A. (1983), The Betrothed, Penguin Classics, London, (ed. or. 1827).
McComb D.G. (2010), Texas: A modern history, (rev. ed.), University of Texas Press, Austin.
Norberg-Schulz C. (1980), Genius loci: Towards a phenomenology of architecture, Rizzoli, Milano.
Otero-Pailos J. (2014), The ethics of dust, Artangel, London.
Rossi A. (1982), The architecture of the city, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, (ed. or. 1966).
Ruskin J. (1989), The seven lamps of architecture, Dover Publications, Mineola, New York, (ed. or. 1849).
Sharpe P. (2005), “Czech, please”, Texas Monthly, september [https://www.texasmonthly.com/articl...].
Texas Historical Commission (nd), El Camino Real de los Tejas. Caddo Culture Virtual Exhibit [https://learning.thc.texas.gov/cadd...].
Texas Historical Commission (1978), Calvert Historic District [https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/up...].
Tolstoy L. (2000), Anna Karenina, Penguin Books, London, (ed. or. 1878).
US Census Bureau (2021), 2020 Census results [https://www.census.gov/programs-sur...].
