Defining Bath's 'DNA'
Bath’s colourful past provides a uniquely relevant source of
inspiration and guidance when seeking to create a vision and
business case for its future growth and sustainability.
The city must not become a heritage museum, entirely focused on
the conservation of its past, introverted, fixed and fearful of
change. It must, rather, celebrate its soul and purpose as a living
city, which embraces its heritage, the needs and wellbeing of its
existing community and its significant future potential.
Taking account of the city's cultural heritage, the Vision seeks
to distil that story into a series of key themes, from which the
city’s future identity can meaningfully flow.
See also
Bath's
'soul'.
This is an attempt to define the essence of Bath - its
‘DNA’ - to ensure that its cultural heritage and its inherent
potential are at the heart of the plans for its future
regeneration.
These overlapping themes provide the basis of a unique and
authentic future identity for the city.
Integration and authenticity
Attempting to define Bath’s ‘DNA’ in a series of separate but
overlapping themes is inevitably an artificial process.
Ultimately, it will be the integration and communication of all
of these themes and values in future regeneration, place-making,
cultural, tourism and marketing initiatives that will enable Bath
to connect its past to its future in a successful and authentic
way.
However, of the ‘DNA’ themes outlined, Bath’s key differentiator
is Water and Wellbeing, which provides an overarching concept, a
set of values and a point of difference to underpin the city’s
future life and ‘brand’.