Search

Abstract This article examines the intersection of commercialisation and sustainable development within the context of urban heritage conservation and the related effects on citizens’ livelihoods, with a specific focus on the Five Avenues (hereafter referred to as Wudadao) historical district in Tianjin, China. The Wudadao district, which is known for its complex heritage architecture, historical significance, and multilayered socioeconomic context, offers significant insights through which the challenges and opportunities of urban heritage conservation and urban prosperity can be analysed. Through mixed-method research—primarily relying on qualitative interviews with local stakeholders concerning the patterns of local conservation challenges and transformations in citizens’ livelihoods, quantitative data collection on tourist motivations and frequency, and a review of conservation policy—this article aims to determine not only how to balance commercialisation with conservation efforts but also how to cocreate social value with citizens to ensure both economic vitalities and to protect historical authenticity and integrity. The findings indicate that while commercialisation brings essential funds and revitalisation to the area, overcommercialisation raises the risk of gentrification and threatens historical authenticity. This research identifies practices that strike a balance between fostering an economically vibrant district and ensuring that heritage conservation remains at the forefront of development efforts. These findings can act as a blueprint for comparable heritage locations both in China and worldwide.

Cultural heritage conceptually addresses the conservation of physical and non-physical dimensions. Heritage conservation generally intends to create pleasant spatial experiences and socio-culturally friendly living environments while accommodating contemporary needs. Conservation frameworks for protecting urban fabric driven by physical authenticity and expert judgment need to pay increased attention to public-based assessment experiences to improve people’s perspectives on the quality of urban historic areas. The notions of inclusive conservation posit that community understanding is essential for appreciating historic urban areas due to various social, cultural, historical, and political conditions. According to public narratives and perspectives, this study describes the types of urban historic districts perceived as attractive. The investigation uses the qualitative method to analyze data from 170 participants obtained through an online questionnaire and content analysis methods with open, axial, and selective coding. The findings reveal that from the public perspective of environmental quality assessment, historic districts are categorized under three types according to attractiveness. Three types of historic areas are vibrant, relaxing, and dull districts. As such, the study emphasizes the importance of human sensory experience in urban planning and design and its consequences for urban heritage conservation.

This study stems from the contemporary need to establish a connection between heritage and citizens, a fundamental element in heritage preservation and a safeguard for authenticity and identity values.1 The study bridges the gap between theory and practice by proposing a methodology based on diagnosis and subsequent proposals to bring heritage closer to the local population. The case study used for this purpose has been the city of Seville, Spain, and it primarily focuses on built heritage and the Historic Urban Landscape. The methodology outlined in this article comprises three phases: (1) Survey and Data Collection, involving the design and implementation of a perception-focused survey; (2) Results Analysis and Evaluation, where the obtained data is statistically analysed, subsequently evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively with a proposed a KPI system; (3) Strategic Planning: finally, as a final outcome, the study utilises the previous evaluation to formulate objectives and an action plan to enhance the local community's heritage relationship. It is expected that the proposed methodology for this case study will be applicable to other similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis article suggests social entrepreneurship, driven by the focal point of Social Entrepreneurship Orientation, as a mechanism to safeguard the cultural heritage of George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, through the case study of two entities - a legally registered organisation (ORG01) and an informal group (ORG02). Given the complex mechanism of social entrepreneurship, this study employed a qualitative approach utilising the Theory of Change framework to dissect the intricated aspects of social entrepreneurship initiatives into processes and challenges, focusing on inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. The key findings shed light on the roles of two entities embodying the characteristics of Social Entrepreneurship Orientation in their safeguarding efforts. Lastly, this article contributes to a practical understanding and possible development of a sustainable model for cultural heritage safeguarding by comprehending the social entrepreneurship process and aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 11 of fostering sustainable cities and communities.

In recent decades, issues relating to affordable and inclusive housing have become pressing in the light of globalization and urban neo-liberalism. The predicament is not only common in modern cities but also unfolding in historic cities, especially after receiving the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site inscription. While there are upsides and downsides to the debate on how urban heritage conservation intersects with housing affairs, arguably, the situation and outcomes differ across temporal and geographical contexts. This study aims to examine the relationship between urban heritage conservation and its implications on affordable and inclusive housing in the George Town World Heritage Site. Based on mixed research methods, the findings gathered indicated that following two defining moments namely, (i) the repeal of the Control of Rent Act; and (ii) the UNESCO inscription, socio-economic transformations have altered the demographics, socio-economic base and housing demands/needs of the heritage site. Undoubtedly, gentrification has set in and housing is deemed unaffordable, especially to low-income citizenry. The study recommends that conceptual notions, policy affairs and action plans in GTWHS should integrate the aspect of inclusive housing to ensure that no one in the heritage site is deprived of a roof above their heads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historic cities, rich in heritage values and evocative of collective memories and meanings, also constitute crucial living environments for urban residents. These cities increasingly face challenges from urbanization and globalization, leading to cultural discontinuities and the homogenization of cityscapes. Such developments can diminish residents' sense of belonging and identification with their cities. Emphasizing local residents' satisfaction is thus essential to urban conservation. This study, using data from Dandong, China, employs Gradient Boosting Decision Trees (GBDT) to identify factors affecting residents' satisfaction in historic built environments. The analysis reveals that over half of the variability in satisfaction is linked to distinct features of the historic environment. Among the fourteen key influencers identified, contextual order emerges as the most impactful factor, notable for its significant effects and interactions with other variables. This study also uncovers pronounced non-linear effects and thresholds for physically measured characteristics. For instance, open space markedly boosts satisfaction when exceeding 34%, satisfaction diminishes with travel times to heritage sites longer than 6.7 min, and satisfaction decreases when the entropy index for diversity surpasses 0.758. These findings provide critical insights for guiding urban conservation strategies and promoting a data-driven approach to enhance residents' satisfaction in historic urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examined the role of the infrastructure and city element of Lasem, which does not merely form the appearance of the city but also shapes its identity. The distinctive architectural element reflects its richness of culture of a hundred years of transactional life of the area, whereas the infrastructure – the streets, greenery and rivers – is the enabler of this process. The ancient river transported goods while at the same time delivering its technique and exchange of creativity between the island and the continents. A hundred years later, the same infrastructure is used for the path used for rituals where it becomes a highway. The inhabitants, from multiple cultures, adapted the situation by still carrying out the procession along the same path. Even though several efforts to minimize the risk have been made, it would be better if urban policy would consider this aspect.Several methods were used in this research. Firstly, a case study method used to examine the distinctiveness of Lasem; secondly, the diachronic method has been applied to show the transformation of the city.The research results show that Lasem, with its ancient pattern of infrastructure, has become a home of diverse religions and sub-ethnicities. The infrastructure requires better consideration, due to its bearing the ancient proof of a living civilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the imbalance between their historic physical buildings and the requirements of its residents, heritage sites are subject to several urban pressures. However, the major potential for urban growth in such locations is in their historic assets.The purpose of this research is to provide an approach for conserving and enhancing urban history in a manner that is beneficial to the environment, society, culture, and economics. Heritage conservation is attempting to distinguish itself. This is due to the fact that conservation and sustainability objectives do not always coincide. The findings are based on research conducted in Mosul and a study of sustainable development's concepts and pillars. With the use of UNDP reports, the present condition in Mosul was determined. The results demonstrate the need of devising a strategy to safeguard historic cities while allowing residents to continue to reside there. This plan should include objectives, strategies, and instruments to ensure that the “historic living city” can adapt and evolve in accordance with the sustainable development principles and the sustainability cycles.The paper uses an inductive methodology to apply sustainable development to historic city centers worldwide.

George Town’s inscription as a world heritage site on July 7 2008 has profound ramifications for the city’s subsequent functionalities, image, and identity. Since the UNESCO inscription, heritage shophouses in George Town World Heritage Site (GTWHS) were purchased en-bloc by investors and massive conservation of shop houses took off. Among the key issues faced by GTWHS is a shortage of the right quantity and quality of human capital in building conservation which, in turn, will threaten the authenticity and integrity of the city’s built heritage, if conservation is done without applying conservation principles and proper skills. While there are strategies in George Town’s Special Area Plan to manage the heritage site, there is a dearth of strategies related to capacity building in the city’s heritage sector. Against this backdrop, the paper aims to propound the relevant strategies to enhance George Town’s capacity building for building conservation works. Based on qualitative techniques, this study interviewed heritage experts to identify suitable strategies in capacity building for GTWHS. This paper recommends that existing strategies should garner collective participation from all stakeholders. The strategies proposed should be implemented as soon as possible to ensure quality and continuous generation of the right skills and knowledge toward sustainable capacity building for George Town’s built heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overview of the policies, legislative measures and tools for the renovation of the historic dwelling stock in Russian cities. The authors summarise the system of complex dwelling renovation in the historic centres of Russian cities, aimed at conserving the unique historic urban landscapes and enhancing the quality of the human environment. The paper describes and analyses: (1) current legal frameworks for the protection of cultural heritage; (2) system of protection zones of cultural heritage; (3) institutional interactions between state agencies for the protection of cultural heritage (at federal, regional and municipal levels), State Agency of Cadastre and municipal authorities; (4) legal relations between the participants of dwelling renovation programmes. The paper concludes that over the last decades state agencies have made significant progress. At the same time, integration and coordination of effort is a critical part of conserving urban heritage. Additionally, the paper discusses the next steps for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the imbalance between their historic physical buildings and the requirements of its residents, heritage sites are subject to several urban pressures. However, the major potential for urban growth in such locations is in their historic assets. The purpose of this research is to provide an approach for conserving and enhancing urban history in a manner that is beneficial to the environment, society, culture, and economics. Heritage conservation is attempting to distinguish itself. This is due to the fact that conservation and sustainability objectives do not always coincide. The findings are based on research conducted in Mosul and a study of sustainable development's concepts and pillars. With the use of UNDP reports, the present condition in Mosul was determined. The results demonstrate the need of devising a strategy to safeguard historic cities while allowing residents to continue to reside there. This plan should include objectives, strategies, and instruments to ensure that the "historic living city" can adapt and evolve in accordance with the sustainable development principles and the sustainability cycles. The paper uses an inductive methodology to apply sustainable development to historic city centers worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to propose an approach for preserving and improving urban heritage while maintaining environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability. Heritage conservation seeks to a distinct position. This is partly due to unresolved contradictions that might arise between conservation and sustainability goals. The conclusions are based on study done in Fouh, Egypt, after a study of the definitions and the pillars of sustainable development. The current state of Fouh was determined using a SWOT analysis. The results show the importance of providing an approach for the protection of heritage cities as a lively unit is the incorporation of protection and sustainability purposes, strategies, and tools to guarantee a “historic living city,“ able to develop and progress in a sustainable manner within time according to the principles of sustainable development and circles of sustainability.

The relationship between micro-narratives of house museums and the macro-narrative of urban development constitutes a gap in the research on the gentrification of historical urban areas in China. The commercial redevelopment of two blocks of Xintiandi, located in the core of Shanghai's former French concession and a major tourism destination, embodies one of four major urban heritage conservation methods applied in the city. We argue that the Wulixiang Shikumen Museum, which is Xintiandi's primary cultural facility, reinforces an argument of 'modern nostalgia' that has characterised heritage production in Shanghai. Our discursive analysis, based on site visits and interviews, focused on the museum's architectural layout and the collection and interpretation of materials relating to a nostalgia discourse that integrates cosmopolitanism, tradition and cultivation, considered as attributes of Shanghai's modernisation during its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. We argue that the micro-narrative of this museum contributes to a macro-narrative of development, which, as exemplified by Xintiandi, encourages the gentrification of Shanghai's historical neighbourhoods. We further argue that an authorised version of Shanghai's semi-colonial past legitimises wider social and economic changes, while obscuring memories associated with decades of collectivisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the conservation policies of Yazd, a major element in the framework of Iran’s historic environment. The goal of the paper is to examine those factors which may have favoured the evolution of the city during the conservation process and what conclusions we can draw for the preservation of other Iranian cities. To this end, the paper analyses three main aspects of the conservation process: the role of local authorities and development plans; the method of conservation in public and private spaces; and social involvement. The paper develops by focusing on the achievements, the strategies and challenges which affect the conservation process nowadays. It illustrates the transition from generically desirable objectives to special planning for urban heritage and preservation revealing several crucial factors in that process. In particular, the following topics are discussed: the importance of open public spaces as a trigger for the wider recovery of the whole historic city, the high cost and uncertain outcomes of private intervention, the community involvement, the transportation system and the challenge of soft mobility, the role of central functions in the new-old city, and the unused potential of religious endowments. At the end, the paper synthesises the achievements, lessons and warnings coming from this still on-going project. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The concept of integrity, as a factor of sustaining values and significance of cultural heritage, is considered to be a key element in the process of urban heritage conservation. Review and analysis of documents, conventions and theories concerning the role of integrity in urban heritage conservation shows that in recent decades, the concept of integrity has attracted attention worldwide in the process of selection, assessment, and codification of the comprehensive conservation and management plan of urban heritage, particularly in the World Heritage sites. Currently, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre has a unique role among other scientific associations. In recent years, the World Heritage Center has put efforts into developing a conceptual framework in order to offer the criteria for evaluation, conservation and management of various types of heritage including the urban heritage. This research is carried with the aim of developing a conceptual framework for integrity in urban heritage conservation by determining the concepts related to integrity. The main question of this paper is that what are the dimensions, aspects, components and criteria of integrity within the domain of urban heritage conservation? Documents and related theories of integrity highlight the importance of conserving the integrity and stability of the cultural dimensions, besides natural dimensions, tangible and intangible aspects and intactness and wholeness components in the process of recognizing and conserving the integrity of place which are possible to be measured and evaluated by structural-historical integrity, functional-social integrity and visual-aesthetic integrity. The major contribution of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for urban heritage conservation, applying all the above mentioned issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to propose an approach for preserving and improving urban heritage while maintaining environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability. Heritage conservation seeks to a distinct position. This is partly due to unresolved contradictions that might arise between conservation and sustainability goals. The conclusions are based on study done in Fouh, Egypt, after a study of the definitions and the pillars of sustainable development. The current state of Fouh was determined using a SWOT analysis. The results show the importance of providing an approach for the protection of heritage cities as a lively unit is the incorporation of protection and sustainability purposes, strategies, and tools to guarantee a "historic living city," able to develop and progress in a sustainable manner within time according to the principles of sustainable development and circles of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, heritage is challenged in the Indian city of Surat due to diverse pressures, including rapid urbanization, increasing housing demand, and socio-cultural and climate changes. Where rapid demographic growth of urban areas is happening, heritage is disappearing at an alarming rate. Despite some efforts from the local government, urban cultural heritage is being neglected and historic buildings keep being replaced by ordinary concrete buildings at a worryingly rapid pace. Discussions of challenges and issues of Surat's urban area is supported by a qualitative dataset, including in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus groups with local policy makers, planners, and heritage experts, triangulated by observation and a photo-survey of two historic areas. Findings from this study reveal a myriad of challenges such as: inadequacy of urban conservation management policies and processes focused on heritage, absence of skills, training, and resources amongst decision makers and persistent conflict and competition between heritage conservation needs and developers' interests. Furthermore, the values and significance of Surat's tangible and intangible heritage is not fully recognized by its citizens and heritage stakeholders. A crucial opportunity exists for Surat to maximize the potential of heritage and reinforce urban identity for its present and future generations. Surat's context is representative of general trends and conservation challenges and therefore recommendations developed in this study hold the potential to offer interesting insights to the wider planners and conservationists' international community. This paper recommends thoughtful integration of sustainable heritage urban conservation into local urban development frameworks and the establishment of approaches that recognize the plurality of heritage values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]