UNESCO World Heritage

A critical reassessment of the 'Old and New Towns of Edinburgh' UNESCO World Heritage Site reveals long-overlooked local community values that have been marginalized within institutional heritage frameworks. This study challenges conventional notions of 'community' in World Heritage theory by integrating insights from critical heritage studies, cultural anthropology, social science, architectural history, and systems thinking. Through a historical-critical examination of archival, institutional, and secondary sources, the research demonstrates how the concept of community can be redefined to better reflect living urban communities—both human and more-than-human—and suggests its transformative potential for future-making heritage instruments like the UNESCO World Heritage system.

White, J. D. G. (2026). UNESCO World Heritage. Edinburgh Architecture Research, 40, 25–39. https://doi.org/10.2218/ear.2026.11612