Values (why to conserve) and Attributes (what to conserve) are essential concepts of cultural heritage. Recent studies have been using social media to map values and attributes conveyed by the public to cultural heritage. However, it is rare to connect heterogeneous modalities of images, texts, geo-locations, timestamps, and social network structures to mine the semantic and structural characteristics therein. This study presents a methodological framework for constructing such multi-modal datasets using posts and images on Flickr for graph-based machine learning (ML) tasks concerning heritage values and attributes. After data pre-processing using pre-trained ML models, the multi-modal information of visual contents and textual semantics are modelled as node features and labels, while their social relationships and spatiotemporal contexts are modelled as links in Multi-Graphs. The framework is tested in three cities containing UNESCO World Heritage properties—Amsterdam, Suzhou, and Venice— which yielded datasets with high consistency for semi-supervised learning tasks. The entire process is formally described with mathematical notations, ready to be applied in provisional tasks both as ML problems with technical relevance and as urban/heritage study questions with societal interests. This study could also benefit the understanding and mapping of heritage values and attributes for future research in global cases, aiming at inclusive heritage management practices. Moreover, the proposed framework could be summarized as creating attributed graphs from unstructured social media data sources, ready to be applied in a wide range of use cases. The dataset and the programming workflow of this study could be accessed through this link.

During the rural [re]vitalization process in China, national strategies required rural public spaces with cultural significance to be identified before planning decision-making. However, places identified as culturally significant by planners and visitors can differ from the ones mostly used and valued by locals. Even if there is a growing interest in integrating local perspectives and experiences in planning, studies seldom discuss and compare openly the adequacy of spatial configuration, cognition and behaviour to support it. This study took Anyi Historic Village Cluster as a case study to empirically investigate rural public spaces with three distinct, yet related approaches: (1) Morphological: spatial network centralities based on space syntax; (2) Cognitive: Lynchian village images with semi-structured interviews; (3) Behavioural: spatiotemporal occupation patterns using Wi-Fi positioning tracking. Significant places valued and used by locals and non-locals were detected with the multi-source data. Furthermore, multivariant regression models managed to characterize the relationship among different aspects of investigated rural public spaces, which also helped diagnose places of interest to prioritize in planning, demonstrating the advantage of integrating the sources of information in practice instead of studying them apart. Results can also assist rural planning on how to identify what to preserve, what to enhance, and how to develop such spaces, without overlooking the local needs or losing the rural identity.

Major urban infrastructure projects in old cities often encounter material, historical features during planning or execution, presenting several challenges for local heritage management. Using the case of the West Link in Gothenburg, Sweden, this paper discusses compensation as an approach to heritage management in cases of large urban developments.

The West Link is a railway line currently under construction in Gothenburg. It burrows through the city’s 17th century fortifications, ancient agricultural properties and historical parks. Since the project is deemed to be a threat to cultural heritage, the Swedish Transport Administration (STA) – responsible for the project – and Gothenburg City’s cultural administration, among others, are in talks on how best to compensate for the impact on heritage.

The paper finds that compensation can take the form of storytelling, variously expressed by exposing archaeological finds, incorporating them into art and architecture, using digital storytelling techniques and linking project sites to their wider regions. Situating these within the wider discourse on compensation and critical heritage, the paper raises for discussion the extent of interconnectedness between heritage objects and their stories, the centrality of material and overlapping heritage approaches that come into play during planning.

Find the link to the publication here. 

The Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) recommendations adopted by UNESCO in 2011 serve as an instrument to respond to challenges to cultural heritage in urban environments faced by rapid urbanization, climate change, and urban conflict. It outlines the knowledge and planning tool emphasizing the documentation and mapping of landscape characteristics to facilitate decision-making processes within a framework of sustainable development. Mapping typically precedes planning and design processes and methods of visually representing risks and vulnerabilities of the territory and formulating them in light of sustainable development of the area, which can offer different perspectives to stakeholders and institutions albeit practiced in limited capacities and innovation. The article explores eidetic mapping as a tool for visually representing diachronicity and sociospatial configurations HULs to aid the decision-making process. The case study of the ancient port town of Jaffa, Israel serves as a testing ground for the proposed method, documenting the diachronous evolution, spatial and socio-economic attributes, and testing its relevance for a new sustainable urban design approach to complex historic urban environments. As this research is based on historical information, the article is categorized as qualitative research with a descriptive-analytic approach while the combination with digital tools takes a heuristic approach. The paper will discuss how the research processed data from primary sources of old maps, photographs, and other information and explorations through visualizations. The above experiment using archival records and integrating them with GIS tools as an integral part of the HUL approach, reveals the potential of what can be termed the eidetic mapping method in the process of sustainable and resilient urban design and planning for historic urban environments. The potential of this hybrid form of geospatial analysis of a historic urban landscape, documenting and reconstructing its palimpsest of information, spatial configurations, and diachronic social and cultural evolution, is presented.

You can find the link to the publication here. 

Cultural tourism can be a powerful driver for development, with city-wide social, economic and environmental impact. With the UNESCO 1972 convention identifying the cultural values attributed to historic monuments, ensembles, cities and their landscapes, it led to recognition of the outstanding universal values and garnered international attention and visitors. These heritage assets can be defined as permanent resources whose main purpose of current development and management is to attract tourists.1 We can identify three core attributes that qualify a tourist attraction: a tourist, a site and a marker/image2 that popularize the site, emphasizing narratives of place, identity, history and collective memory. Worldwide, the concept of cultural tourism evolved throughout history from a pilgrimage and religious activity to a high-profile, mass-market activity. Here, conspicuous consumption of cultural resources due to tourism is crucial in the assessment to inform planning and decision making for sustainable urban design. This research focuses on the case of multicultural historic cities and tourism narratives and culture led urban regeneration.4 The principles of UNESCO Culture 2030 indicators and UNHABITAT New Urban Agenda 2017 (NUA) are used as the contextual framework for analysing the role of culture tourism in historic cities. What is the influence of cultural tourism on socio-spatial configurations and economics? The ancient port city of Jaffa, Israel, an important historic commercial port, is a case of evolving cultural landscape and community. The modern city of Tel Aviv was developed in contrast to the ancient port town of Jaffa. Today Jaffa has become a cultural tourist spot, currently facing a wide-reaching process of gentrification. Undergoing marginalisation, Jaffa has witnessed spatial conflicts, economic pressures and shifting demographics. It is hence important to re-evaluate the impacts of cultural tourism on the urban environment and its communities to provide interpretation for design processes. The methodology developed for this research is an interpretive key to assess how cultural tourism may exacerbate socio-spatial heterogeneity in multicultural cities and prove as a potential tool to revisit narratives of identities of historic cities to inform future decision-making.

You can find the link to the publication here. 

Design/methodology/approach

Cities are facing challenges that dramatically affect their social and physical landscapes, leading to the increase of urban segregation and polarization. One response to these challenges is adaptive reuse, yet, in heterogeneous communities, these adaptations are often a source of conflict, because local actions often lack an integrative approach, leading to further exclusion. In this paper the authors explore the potential of adaptive reuse of urban heritage as a planning tool to support inclusiveness and heterogeneity.

Design/methodology/approach

The city of Acre is used as a case study, where different scenarios for urban heritage are proposed and tested among stakeholders through interviews. These aim to explore how adaptive reuse processes can lead to the inclusion or exclusion of certain groups and how design interventions in historic urban landscapes challenge the way the current disconnected historic and urban layers interact.

Findings

The paper presents the commonalities and differences between the interviewees’ perceptions on Acre’s functioning, their idea of inclusiveness and other aspects related to urban design. Moreover, it highlights the existing conflicts of interest, value prioritization and the adequacy of the proposed scenarios, serving as a way to verify the accuracy of the scenario building process.

Find the link to the publication here. 

The world is undergoing dramatic change in its social and physical environments, resulting in cultural confrontation and conflict. Rapid urban growth, displacement, and gentrification increase urban pressure while jeopardising social cohesion, multicultural values, and local economies. In addition, environmental factors associated with climate change challenge how our cities respond and adapt, prompting the need for urban centre regeneration to confront the urban century challenges (Sassen, 2011). However, adaptation to these changes is also a source of conflict, as urban policies lack citizen engagement in the redefinition of public space, resulting in more disagreement and inefficient use of resources.

One way to respond to this ongoing crisis is adaptive reuse, repurposing an underused system for a new use. This process can enhance positive environmental impacts, encourage social and participatory processes, and promote economic dynamism through culture. However, the success of such an intervention will depend on the underlying approach.

The paper aims to explore how Jem Bendell’s ambitious four-pronged Deep Adaptation strategy (Bendell, 2018) combined with the cultural resilience approach can result in adaptive reuse processes that act as development catalysers and peace-building mechanisms.

Find the link to the publication here.