Local Cultures – Global Spaces
Abstract
UNESCO guidelines for the management of historic cities and World Heritage (WH) sites point out the relevance of adequately managed urban heritage to foster social cohesion. However, there is still limited evidence on how this outcome is achieved. One of the main challenges is that social cohesion is a multidimensional concept that encompasses several constituents and is subject to contested interpretations. Hence, it is necessary to examine how social cohesion has been discursively constructed in the urban heritage field, particularly according to the highly influential UNESCO WH frameworks. Addressing this issue, this research analyses how social cohesion discursive repertoires are (re)produced in the management guidelines and Statements of Outstanding Universal Value (SoOUV) of UNESCO WH historic cities and by the experts creating and using these documents to better understand how this discursive practice may enable the promotion of objectives associated with social cohesion. The study uses discursive institutionalism as a theoretical foundation and combines content analysis, discourse analysis, and in-depth interviews to empirically examine the (re)production of social cohesion discourses. The research enhances our knowledge of the possible mobilisations of heritage in cities to promote social cohesion and encourages planners to reflect on the possible tensions and nuances between pursuing social justice objectives, providing room for contestation, and (unwittingly) perpetuating the status quo. Additionally, it advances discussions on the relevance, benefits, and limitations of the WH Convention and its implications as a global system, to which nation-states adhere, and implemented locally, in historic cities, at city or neighbourhood levels.
Rafael Maximiliano Flores de Leon is a Ph.D. candidate in Heritage Studies working under the Chair of Urban Management at BTU. His areas of interest include urban heritage, social inclusion, and identity and representation. He holds a M.Sc. in Urban Planning and Management from TU Dortmund, Germany and Ardhi University, Tanzania; and a B.Sc. in Architecture from Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala. He has worked as a planning consultant specialising in urban regeneration and participatory processes. He has supported research processes in Latin America, Europe, East Africa and the Pacific.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Silke Weidner is the head of the Chair Urban Management, and the director of the Institute of Urban planning at the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. She is the President of the Knowledge Network- City & Retail in Leipzig, the Vice-President of the Society of Property Researchers of Germany (since 2014), and a managing partner of the |u|m|s| Stadtstrategien. She has received her Doctorate from the University of Leipzig, with a doctoral dissertation about urban development and shrinking cities. Her research interests cover topics such as urban development processes, urban management (with regard to stakeholders, processes and instruments) and trade in cities.
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Wednesday 6th December, 2023