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1 – 10 of 717Susan Osireditse Keitumetse, Katlego Pleasure Mwale, Gakemotho Satau, Kgosietsile Velempini, Vasco Ompabaletse Baitsiseng, Onalethuso Petruss Buyile Mambo Ntema, Jobe Manga and Stephen Thapelo Mogotsi
This study applied the Heritage Place Lab (HPL) research-practice teams methodology to identify missing cultural values and/or oversubscribed natural values and assess impacts on…
Abstract
Purpose
This study applied the Heritage Place Lab (HPL) research-practice teams methodology to identify missing cultural values and/or oversubscribed natural values and assess impacts on sustainable conservation of the Okavango Delta World Heritage Site. The authors found that cultural elements are often overlooked owing to limited inputs from trans-disciplinary and cross-stakeholder perspectives to conservation. This may explain why the majority of African sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger are of “natural” designations, as an absence of cultural values is linked to the exclusion of people and, therefore, gives rise to conflicts of access and use.
Design/methodology/approach
World Heritage Site statistics, published and non-published documents/literature, site maps, site registers, consultancy reports and archival materials were used to assess whether existing as well as potential natural and cultural site values were considered for the contemporary management of the Okavango Delta site in a way that leads to a sustainable conservation approach. The composition of the research-practice team as suggested by the HPL methodology constituted a ready-made diverse team of academics, policy makers and community members that could apply its diverse expertise to fully assess whether all values necessary for a sustainable conservation approach are accounted for.
Findings
Using expertise of trans-disciplinary team populated during the HPL, the authors found that cultural values of the OD-WHS are not highlighted in the OUVs dossier but are significantly expressed on site by locals, leading to potential conflicts of conservation. The research alerts conservationists to embrace an approach that includes all values on the site in order move towards sustainable conservation.
Research limitations/implications
More research that require funding is needed to cover a wider area of the site, as well as enable work in adjoining countries to compare experiences per country - The Okavango waterbody starts in Angola and go through Namibia, and finally to Botswana.
Practical implications
Conservation indicators of African nature world heritage sites constitute of, and border on, diverse stakeholders. An all-encompassing approach such as the Heritage Place Lab (HPL) methodology approach always needs to be factored in.
Social implications
Including cultural aspects of world heritage sites designated as ‘natural' is important to allow for socio-cultural inclusion in conservation management. This allows for local communities to become visible and active participants in the management of the site as they contribute their socio-cultural qualities to landscape conservation and management, a process that has potential to enhance sustainable conservation of the Okavango Delta site landscape, as well as other wetlands across the world.
Originality/value
The adopted approach to values assessment has somehow not conformed to the OUVs emphasis or other dichotomies of the World Heritage criteria but instead assessed on-the-ground management practice against key sustainable conservation indicators. Using the ICCROM HPL trans-disciplinary research-practice team approach, the focus was on a holistic values assessment of the site. The authors found that cultural values are currently under recognised, under-acknowledged and less expressed; creating potential conflicts that may hinder achievement of sustainable conservation and management of the site towards 2030 SDG agenda.
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Mark Alan Rhodes II and Kathryn Laura Hannum
Industrial heritage works within a world of contradictions, contentions and scalar liminality. Archaeologists and historians focus upon oral histories and discourses of tangible…
Abstract
Purpose
Industrial heritage works within a world of contradictions, contentions and scalar liminality. Archaeologists and historians focus upon oral histories and discourses of tangible and intangible memory and heritage while planners and economists see industrial World Heritage, in particular, as a marketing ploy to redevelop deindustrialized spaces. Within this liminality, we explore the potential for geographical perspectives to solder such contradictions into transdisciplinary heritage assessments and tourism contexts. How might the spatial tools of landscape and scalar analyses expose alternative and sustainable futures within broader patterns of industrial heritage management and consumption?
Design/methodology/approach
Using three comparative cases, interview and landscape methods and conducting discourse analysis within a spatial and scalar framework, we explore the increasing presence of industrial World Heritage.
Findings
We present both an institutional reflection upon the complexities of heritage discourse across complex spatial configurations and the intersectional historical, cultural, political, environmental and economic geographies that guide and emerge out of World Heritage Designations. Framed scalarly and spatially, we highlight common interpretation, tourism and heritage management styles and concerns found across industrial World Heritage. We point out trans-scalar considerations for future municipalities and regions looking to utilize their industrial landscapes and narratives.
Originality/value
We believe that more theoretical groundings in space and scale may lead to both the flexibility and the applicability needed to assess and, in turn, manage trans-scalar and trans-spatial complex heritage sites. These perspectives may be uniquely poised to assess the complex geographies of industrial, particularly mining, World Heritage Sites.
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This paper responds to the lack of visitor engagement in many culture-based World Heritage sites and conceptualises a “Cuteification-Value Nexus” for the discussion of the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper responds to the lack of visitor engagement in many culture-based World Heritage sites and conceptualises a “Cuteification-Value Nexus” for the discussion of the communication of heritage values through “cute” or aesthetically pleasing popular culture elements. It reflects on observations in Macao to argue for a greater engagement of culture-based World Heritage sites through a combination of popular culture inspired motifs and truthful heritage messages. Specifically, it identifies a form of “cuteified heritage” – a hyperreal cultural zone that happens away from the actual heritage sites, but which articulates the heritage significances of those sites. This draws on concepts on themed spaces and insights from postmodernistic hyperreality and tourism to examine how the “completely real” becomes identified with the “completely fake” in the staging, consumption and negotiation of experiences with World Heritage and their utility in the management of World Heritage tourism sites.
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Hiba Alkhalaf, Alaa Elhabashi, Yassmen Hesham, Abdulsalam Hiba, Abdulkader Omaar, Hafed Walda and Will Thomas Wootton
This paper introduces a methodology to identify, analyse and represent heritage site attributes, emphasizing their impact on value, authenticity, integrity and management, with a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper introduces a methodology to identify, analyse and represent heritage site attributes, emphasizing their impact on value, authenticity, integrity and management, with a case study on Ghadames, Libya. Inscribed in 1986 and moved to the In-Danger List in 2016 due to conflict, this work seeks to update the site's attributes and values for improved management.
Design/methodology/approach
This methodology, focusing on Ghadames, leverages recent heritage management advancements to monitor conflict-induced changes, aiming to enhance decision-making through a detailed analysis of the site's natural and cultural attributes.
Findings
Our findings highlight the need for systematic and holistic assessments of heritage site attributes and values, crucial for managing sites of both local and global significance. This approach is a key to understanding their identity, guiding interpretation, management and preserving cultural significance.
Research limitations/implications
Developed for Ghadames, the methodology requires adaptation for other sites, underscoring the importance of identifying core tangible and intangible attributes that define a site's uniqueness.
Practical implications
Our developed methodology offers a replicable framework that can be modified by local heritage professionals to map attributes and assess the direct and indirect impact of conflict on heritage sites.
Originality/value
The detailed assessment provides a foundation for crafting informed policies and effective management strategies. It specifically targets minimizing the adverse effects of conflict on heritage sites' attributes. This effort is instrumental in preparing the necessary documentation to support the delisting of these sites from the UNESCO World Heritage Site In-Danger List, promoting their preservation and recovery.
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The need to digitise is an awareness that is shared across our community globally, and yet the probability of the intersection between resources, expertise and institutions are…
Abstract
Purpose
The need to digitise is an awareness that is shared across our community globally, and yet the probability of the intersection between resources, expertise and institutions are not as prospective. A strategic view towards the long-term goal of cultivating and digitally upskilling the younger generation, building a community and creating awareness with digital activities that can be beneficial for cultural heritage is necessary.
Design/methodology/approach
The work involves distributing tasks between stakeholders and local volunteers. It uses close-range photogrammetry for reconstructing the entire heritage site in 3D, and outlines achievable digitisation activities in the crowdsourced, close-range photogrammetry of a 19th century Cheah Kongsi clan temple located in George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Penang, Malaysia.
Findings
The research explores whether loosely distributing photogrammetry work that partially simulates an unorganised crowdsourcing activity can generate complete models of a site that meets the criteria set by the needs of the clan temple. The data acquired were able to provide a complete visual record of the site, but the 3D models that was generated through the distributed task revealed gaps that needed further measurements.
Practical implications
Key lessons learned in this activity is transferable. Furthermore, the involvement of volunteers can also raise awareness of ownership, identity and care for local cultural heritage.
Social implications
Key lessons learned in this activity is transferable. Furthermore, the involvement of volunteers can also raise awareness of identity, ownership, cultural understanding, and care for local cultural heritage.
Originality/value
The value of semi-formal activities indicated that set goals can be achieved through crowdsourcing and that the new generation can be taught both to care for their heritage, and that the transfer of digital skills is made possible through such activities. The mass crowdsourcing activity is the first of its kind that attempts to completely digitise a cultural heritage site in 3D via distributed activities.
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Francesca Giuliani, Anna De Falco, Valerio Cutini and Michele Di Sivo
Worldwide, natural hazards are affecting urban cultural heritage and World Heritage Sites, exacerbating other environmental and human-induced threats deriving from deterioration…
Abstract
Purpose
Worldwide, natural hazards are affecting urban cultural heritage and World Heritage Sites, exacerbating other environmental and human-induced threats deriving from deterioration, uncontrolled urbanization and unsustainable tourism. This paper aims to develop a disaster risk analysis in Italian historic centers because they are complex large-scale systems that are cultural and economic resources for the country, as well as fragile areas.
Design/methodology/approach
A heritage-oriented qualitative methodology for risk assessment is proposed based upon the formalization of risk as a function of hazard, vulnerability and exposure, taking into account the values of cultural heritage assets.
Findings
This work provides a contribution to the body of knowledge in the Italian context of disaster risk mitigation on World Heritage Sites, opening for further research on the monitoring and maintenance of the tangible heritage assets. The application to the site of San Gimignano proves the effectiveness of the methodology for proposing preventive measures and actions that ensure the preservation of cultural values and a safer built environment.
Originality/value
The application of a value-based simplified approach to risk analysis is a novelty for historic centers that are listed as World Heritage Sites.
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Andrea Valagussa, Paolo Frattini, Giovanni Battista Crosta, Daniele Spizzichino, Gabriele Leoni and Claudio Margottini
Aim of this paper is to evaluate the reliability of UNESCO Periodic Reports for the assessment of hazards affecting the UNESCO world heritage sites (WHSs) and to rank the most…
Abstract
Purpose
Aim of this paper is to evaluate the reliability of UNESCO Periodic Reports for the assessment of hazards affecting the UNESCO world heritage sites (WHSs) and to rank the most critical WHSs in Europe through multicriteria analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The Periodic Reports represent the available continental-scale knowledge on hazards that threaten the WHSs in Europe and include 13 different natural threats. The information included in these reports has been first validated with high-quality data available in Italy for volcanoes, landslides, and earthquakes. Starting from the Periodic Reports, a multicriteria hazard analysis has been developed by using the analytical hierarchy procedure (AHP) approach. This analysis allows to identify and to rank the most critical WHSs at the European scale.
Findings
The data provided by Periodic Reports are demonstrated to be a good starting point for a continental-scale analysis of the actual distribution of natural threats affecting WHSs in Europe. The Periodic Reports appear to be reliable enough for a first-order assessment of hazards. The general overview of the hazard at the European scale shows high value of hazard index in the Eastern Mediterranean area and Balkans, due to a combination of earthquakes and landslides. The most at danger cultural site is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the most at danger natural site is Norway.
Originality/value
The paper gives a contribution to improve the continental-scale knowledge on hazards affecting the UNESCO heritage sites. The assessment of hazard inside the WHSs is an important task for the preservation of cultural and natural heritage, and it is important for UNESCO to achieve some of its goals. Through this research, European WHSs have been ranked according to their degree of hazard.
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Scholarly discourses regarding heritage values for sustainable heritage management abound in heritage literature but appear elitist as they tend to exclude the perspectives of the…
Abstract
Purpose
Scholarly discourses regarding heritage values for sustainable heritage management abound in heritage literature but appear elitist as they tend to exclude the perspectives of the people at the lower echelons of society. The study explored the values ascribed to a global heritage monument by the people living around a global heritage site in Ghana and the implications of their perceptual values for sustainable heritage management.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used the qualitative design. It was guided by Costin’s heritage values, community attachment theory and values-based approach to heritage management. Data was gathered from the local people living close to the heritage site, and the staff of Museums and Monuments Board at the heritage site. Data were gathered through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews and analysed using the thematic approach and most significant stories.
Findings
The results revealed that the local people were aware of the economic, aesthetic, historic, symbolic and informational values of the heritage monument but showed little attachment to the monument. The main reasons for the low attachment were the limited opportunity for them to participate in the management of the monument, and the limited opportunity for direct economic benefits from the heritage asset.
Research limitations/implications
A comprehensive understanding of heritage monument management that reflects the perspectives and values of the local people is imperative.
Practical implications
United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and Ghana Museums and Monuments Board could consider a more community-inclusive heritage management framework that takes cognizance of local values and perspectives to ensure sustainable heritage management and development.
Social implications
The values and perspectives of the local community matter in heritage management. The heritage authorities need to engage more with the community people and educate them on the best practices regarding the sustainable management of World Heritage Sites.
Originality/value
This paper argues that the management of global heritage sites should not be elitist in orientation and character. It should respect the principle of community participation for inclusive development.
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Barbara Molina, Gabriela Eljuri and Xavier Roigé Ventura
This paper aims to study possible differences between the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) defined in the designation of Cuenca as a World Heritage (WH) site and its inhabitants'…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study possible differences between the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) defined in the designation of Cuenca as a World Heritage (WH) site and its inhabitants' perceptions of heritage value. The study is based on research conducted in the historic centre of Cuenca in Ecuador, which was accorded WH status in 1999.
Design/methodology/approach
The research employs both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, providing a complementary approach to the research subject. Quantitative research involved a probability survey of 400 informants randomly selected from the population of the canton of Cuenca, while qualitative research included 40 semi-structured interviews with residents and traders in the historic centre and 150 further written consultations with residents of the city.
Findings
Following the introduction, methodology and description, the paper presents the data gathered from the survey and interviews. These indicate inhabitants' perceptions of the meaning, values, and uses of WH in Cuenca and reveal differences between their perceptions and those of the official OUV.
Originality/value
Although there are several studies on WH residents' perceptions of UNESCO OUV, few highlight the mismatch between local community views of heritage and those established by UNESCO. This study reflects critically on the concept of OUV, which is based on technical and political criteria rather than social participation. The study employs methodologies that could be applied in other case studies and used to improve heritage management. This is the only study on local perceptions of Cuenca's OUV.
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Jessenia Moreno-Manzo, Ariadna Gassiot-Melian and Lluís Coromina
The city of Quito is a World Heritage Site (WHS) in Ecuador and the city owns one of the best-preserved and extensive historic centers in Latin America for cultural tourism. This…
Abstract
Purpose
The city of Quito is a World Heritage Site (WHS) in Ecuador and the city owns one of the best-preserved and extensive historic centers in Latin America for cultural tourism. This study aims to identify the factors that constitute perceived value construct at the WHS of Quito.
Design/methodology/approach
This research collects data from tourists who have visited the city of Quito, Ecuador. A total of 381 on-site questionnaires are used. Data have been analyzed using exploratory factorial analysis.
Findings
Results regarding the dimensional structural framework of perceived value indicate that perceived value at the WHS of Quito has five factors: (1) monetary and non-monetary costs (MNC), (2) staff service quality (SSQ), (3) tourist offer accessibility (TOA), (4) destination attractiveness (DA) and (5) information accessibility (IA).
Originality/value
Two new factors of accessibility have been proposed in this study for measuring consumer value at a WHS. Perceived value and accessibility have been treated as two separate subjects in academic literature before. However, this article contributes to the understanding of perceived value at WHS, including factors linked to accessibility. Both managerial and theoretical implications for WHS are discussed.
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