Masyarakat yang tinggal di suatu kawasan akan mengalami kualitas fisik dan non fisik yang ada di kawasan tersebut secara langsung. Pengalaman sehari-hari dalam suatu kawasan akan menciptakan  citra dan harapan terhadap kawasan tersebut. Kawasan bersejarah dianggap penting sebagai karakter dan nilai citra suatu daerah. Kawasan Kesawan merupakan kawasan bersejarah yang berada di Kota Medan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap citra dan harapan Kawasan Kesawan menurut penduduk Kota Medan. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif yang bersifat eksploratif. Data dikumpulkan dengan membagikan kuesioner daring yang berisi pertanyaan terbuka. Kemudian didapatkan data teks yang berisi persepsi dan pemikiran masyarakat tentang citra dan harapan terhadap Kawasan Kesawan. Data tersebut dianalisis dengan analisis isi. Dari hasil analisis, terungkap bahwa citra Kawasan Kesawan yang dominan di mata penduduk Kota Medan adalah memiliki nilai sejarah tetapi tidak terawat. Terungkap pula bahwa mempertahankan bangunan lama dan tetap menjadikan Kawasan Kesawan sebagai kawasan bersejarah adalah harapan penduduk Kota Medan yang dominan.

<p class="Abstract"><em>Cultural heritage areas in the form of historic urban villages are part of the country's wealth that deserves to be preserved. The value and authenticity of settlements is the focus of conservation measures. Protocol Hoi Ana in 2009 explained the dimensions of cultural heritage. This dimension is divided into two: first, dimensions that are visible, in the form of visual, visible, building material, location, place settings, and others. Second, the dimensions of values contained in cultural heritage, in the form of history, spirit of place and others. The authenticity and whereabouts of historic villages in a city have so far decreased in number and seem to disappear with frequent cases of fires that damage this cultural heritage area. From the data collected, there are various causes of fires in the historic urban village. The main focus is related to the low level of public awareness, among others: negligence due to the fall of candles, transformer explosions, excessive use of currents, low awareness of the causes of electricity theft practices which often lead to short circuits which cause fires that cause casualties, damage to urban areas and historical buildings in it. The historic city village is a property of the nation and state. The community has the same responsibility in a community to save and preserve it. This paper reviews various literature studies related to the role of the community in preventing the danger of fire in cultural heritage areas that have been home to tens or even hundreds of years. With the existence of knowledge and sense of ownership by the community, it is hoped that fire prevention management in the historic township can be applied and its sustainability carried out.</em></p>

Characteristics and history contained in buildings and environments in the city will create an image of the area which was then called as historic area. Kesawan area in Medan City is one of the historical areas and the identity of the city. The current problems are economic interests, modernization, uneven urban development, and improperly enforced laws that threaten the existence of historic areas and buildings. This study aims to reveal the image and expectations of the Kesawan Area from the viewpoint of the people of Medan City, which can be used as a foothold in formulating policies in maintaining its preservation as a historic area. The methods used in this study are mixed methods, namely qualitative and quantitative. The data collection method is done using an online questionnaire with a non-random sample - snowball sampling. Qualitative data analyzed contents. Quantitative data were analyzed by factor analysis and multivariate correlation analysis. From the analysis of images and expectations revealed four perspectives on the Kesawan Area. First, a conservation perspective that hopes that Chinatown's identity in the Kesawan Area is maintained. The two tourism perspectives that have a dominant image of the Kesawan Area tourist attraction and the Kesawan Area hope remain the Medan City icon. The three revitalization perspectives that have the image of the Kesawan Area are difficult to park, crowded during the day, but have a visual appeal, and hope that the Kesawan Region becomes a living area. The four development perspectives expect infrastructure improvements in the Kesawan area.