Xavier Greffe is Professor of economics at the University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne. In charge of the PhD Program on the Economics of Arts and Heritage, he has written various books in the field of cultural economics and public management. He has been administrator both at the central and regional level, in charge of French training programs for heritage and crafts management. He is adviser for the European Union related to cultural employment. SAMBHAVA: Preservation of the cultural heritage of Ahmedabad Preservation of the historic heritage of cities, which is a priority as far as town planning in France is concerned, is now beginning to be taken into consideration in India as well. This is evinced by the increasing concern shown towards town planning by government institutions as well as private individuals. Keeping this in mind, the Embassy of France in India decided in 1998 to organise a series of seminars, entitled SAMBHAVA, to plan a strategy for the preservation of the historic heritage of Ahmedabad. The concentration of experts and architects and the unique heritage of the ancient city, well illustrated by its 'pols', led to Ahmedabad being chosen as the testing ground for this experiment. The Municipality of Ahmedabad, INTACH, HUDCO, the Indian Institute of Management and the National Institute of Design were obvious partners. The objectives of the three SAMBHAVA seminars held in Ahmedabad were multiple: the legal context of the action, the relevance of the choice of historical areas and constructions, observance of rules on preservation, preservation per se, training of curators, methodology and more generally heritage economy. A test site, initiated in January 2000, the first phase of which was completed just prior to the earthquake of January 2001, will serve as a model for future restoration. Changes in existing legislation, which would enable monitoring the granting of construction permits and authorisations to demolish, are also under st
