IN-PERSON Barcelona Livable Cities. Section A

Abstract

Any change in the management, use and regulation of immovable cultural heritage leads to fierce debates between the various stakeholders in local communities, pointing to the exceptional role and importance of this heritage for society and the quality of life in general. This is especially reflected in local environments that are particularly sensitised and tied to the identity, cultural and historical meanings of immovable heritage. Due to the sensitivity of processes that seek to balance the interests of different groups in relation to the immovable cultural heritage, any possible wrong action can have a strong impact on local development and significantly reduce the quality of life in the community. For this reason, any planned change in the management of cultural heritage must be thoroughly scrutinised by the population. Although the information obtained through opinion surveys reveals many opinions and viewpoints on the management of immovable cultural heritage, it also reveals some seemingly paradoxical situations where respondents simultaneously accept and reject certain development directions. These themes are illustrated in this paper using data from the HEI-TRANSFORM project. The methodology is based on the analysis of a large panel survey in Slovenia, complemented by a secondary case study analysis of specific sites in the EU, covering architectural heritage, archaeological sites and other representative immovable cultural heritage.