TY - JOUR AB - Purpose The courtyard dwellings of Tbilisi form a critical part of the city’s architectural identity. However, the multiple occupation of these buildings is blamed for confounding their prospects for repair and consequent valorisation as a World Heritage Site. Models for the shared ownership of residential blocks have been adapted globally. Some have established communal sources for rehabilitation and maintenance applicable to historic buildings. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relevance of such precedents to the complex and urgent context of Tbilisi’s threatened architectural heritage.Design/methodology/approach The paper uses existing literature and data to establish a hypothesis in support of adopting a collaborative approach for the maintenance and rehabilitation of shared buildings in a challenging and specific context. Using socio-economic data to characterise the occupants of such buildings and current critical sources, the paper investigates how existing collective communities can be empowered to capitalise from their unique social frameworks.Findings It finds evidence to support theoretical claims that there is scope for co-operative networks to flourish there.Research limitations/implications The paper is limited to a desktop analysis and relies upon available data and literature to draw its conclusions.Originality/value This paper addresses a critical problem in the formulation of conservation plans for Old Tbilisi, it tests the relevance of global exemplars for community repair programmes by reference to existing data for the care of the predominantly domestic architecture of Old Tbilisi at a time of rapid change. VL - 6 IS - 3 SN - 2044-1266 DO - 10.1108/JCHMSD-11-2015-0043 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-11-2015-0043 AU - Prizeman Oriel PY - 2016 Y1 - 2016/01/01 TI - Maintenance of shared spaces: courtyards of Tbilisi T2 - Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 316 EP - 329 Y2 - 2024/04/24 ER -