Place, Identity and Wellbeing: Bradford and Beyond

Research demonstrates that digital heritage tools, combined with arts-based methods, significantly enhance community wellbeing, resilience, and identity formation. The study highlights how 3D reconstructions of heritage sites, such as those developed through the Fragmented Heritage project, facilitate the preservation and reinterpretation of intangible cultural heritage, particularly in post-disaster or conflict scenarios. Creative workshops, including those involving school learners, reveal deepened connections to place, routes, and narratives, with applications extending globally—such as in Tanzania's Bagamoyo Festival and Jordan's BReaTHe festivals. Additionally, the integration of funerary archaeology with creative methods normalizes discussions around death and loss, fostering resilience across diverse audiences, from health professionals to young people. These approaches collectively enrich social cohesion and wellbeing by valuing origins and intangible heritage, offering scalable models for heritage-led community development.

Croucher, K., Bates, C. R., Booker, O., Evans, A., Gaffney, C., Ichumbaki, E., Jennings, B., Moore, J., Ogden, J., Ritchings, J., Simpson, S., Sparrow, T., Snaylam, S., Sutton-Butler, A., Walker, A., & Wilson, A. S. (2026). Place, Identity and Wellbeing: Bradford and Beyond. Internet Archaeology, (73). https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.73.4