On 23 September 1992 the symposium 'Between air-conditioner and mango tree' took place at the University of Utrecht (RUG). It was not without reason that the Institute of Art history, Architectural history and Archaeology, in the person of Professor, dr. E.R.M. Taverne, performed the task of being the host during that day. In the period 1990-1992 five students of the architectural-history department dedicated their postgraduate studies to architecture and urban development in Willemstad, Curaçao. The immediate cause of the organization of the symposium was the wish to reveal the results of the research performed, in such a way as to make it possible to use it in the discussion on the practice of present-day architecture, urban development and urban renewal on the island. This theme is quite topical among experts as well as the general public. The discussion is notably focused on the decline, preservation, and urban renewal of the historical centre of Willemstad. Partly because of the acute need to take action there, partly because of the formulation and institution of the Monumentenplan (monuments and historic buildings plan) and the promotional activities of the Interregional Commission Action Plan Willemstad (ICAW) of UNESCO since 1988. Question of identity What is essential is the question of identity. The need for an Antillean native culture and a policy suitable for this purpose has presented itself ever more compellingly since the fifties, when the process of governmental emancipation of the islands started. Within the field of restoration of monuments and urban renewal the following question is crucial: choices will have to be made between demolition and restoration, history-oriented new construction or contemporary building. The quality of life of a city is largely determined by the extent to which buildings and public environment give the inhabitants a sense of recognition and of 'feeling at home'. The organization of the symposium also wished to apply the theme of identity explicitly to the urban ...