Urban Cultural Heritage: Managing and Preserving a Local Global Common in the Twenty-first Century

Urban cultural heritage, serving as both a local and global common, faces significant challenges in preservation amid rapid urbanization. This study evaluates the effectiveness of existing UNESCO conventions—specifically those protecting World Cultural and Natural Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage—in safeguarding urban heritage, finding them largely inadequate for modern contexts. A new approach, the 2011 Recommendation on Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), is analyzed through case studies, revealing successful applications in Amsterdam, Ballarat, and Cuenca, while highlighting failures in Stockholm, Hong Kong, and Macau. The research proposes a governance framework for sustainable urban development, emphasizing heritage's role in identity formation and collective memory. It concludes that a new UNESCO convention may be necessary to address contemporary urban heritage challenges.

Sadowski, M. M. (2017). Urban Cultural Heritage: Managing and Preserving a Local Global Common in the Twenty-first Century. Journal of Heritage Management, 2(2), 125–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/2455929617738454