Chris Landorf

A Framework for Sustainable Heritage Management: A Study of UK Industrial Heritage Sites

In 2002, the World Heritage Committee declared heritage to be ‘an instrument for the sustainable development of all societies’. The term ‘sustainable development’, however, is inscribed with a complex economic, environmental and social agenda that challenges contemporary World Heritage management practice. This paper draws on a content analysis of six industrial UK World Heritage Site management plans. The analysis focuses on the extent that each plan integrates four key sustainability dimensions. Findings indicate that the planning frameworks and collaboration processes in operation at each site ensure conservation of the historical physical fabric but limit the development of a sustainable local cultural economy. A sustainable heritage management framework is presented based on the adoption of a long‐term strategic orientation and extensive local community participation in decision making. The framework is relevant to other complex heritage sites such as historic towns and cultural landscapes.

Evaluating social sustainability in historic urban environments

Government policies aimed at the alleviation of poverty and social exclusion have been moving toward a multi-faceted approach that includes community capacity building and collaborative partnerships. This implies greater community consultation and the involvement of public and private institutions and the voluntary sector in the democratic management of local affairs. While these are established theoretical concepts, implementing localised social policy and measuring the outcomes are notoriously difficult, particularly in historic urban areas where democratic decision making has the potential to conflict with the management of heritage value. Drawing on recent policy and academic literature, this paper explores the concept of social sustainability and the characteristics of its evaluation. The paper illustrates how social sustainability indicators favour multi-dimensional themes that support national political agendas. The tension between this and the rise of participatory governance is highlighted. The paper concludes with a suggested approach to the evaluation of social sustainability in historic urban environments.

The urban environment and sustainable ageing: critical issues and assessment indicators

Later life is a diverse experience but for some it is associated with a variety of impairments that impact on quality of life. Attention to date has focused on supporting ageing in place through modification to the home environment to compensate for increasing levels of impairment. This paper explores a further link between later life and the environment beyond the home. In doing so, the paper argues that the disabling impact of the urban environment on older people should be an essential consideration in the urban sustainability debate. A multi-dimensional framework combining sustainable development and ageing in place criteria is used to test the extent to which three sustainable urban environment assessment tools address the issue. The findings suggest that the capacity of an urban environment to support ageing in place is not being assessed as an integral element of a sustainable urban environment. Identifying factors that influence healthy later life will allow the inclusion of a later-life perspective in future urban sustainability planning and assessment models.

A future for the past: A new theoretical model for sustainable historic urban environments

Abstract Industrial regions across the developed world have experienced a period of steady decline since the 1960s. The regeneration of former industrial sites, particularly for tourism, has become an expedient strategy for targeting the economic and social deprivation often associated with de-industrialization. This places significant expectations on heritage not only as a contributor to the more immediate regeneration process but also as a vehicle for long-term sustainable development. Using data drawn from a case study of UK industrial World Heritage sites, this article presents findings that indicate the need for procedural and institutional innovation if industrial heritage sites are to respond to the challenge of sustainable development. The paper concludes with a model of sustainable heritage management that is relevant to other complex historic sites.

Subject–object perceptions of heritage: a framework for the study of contrasting railway heritage regeneration strategies

A railway or any other form of heritage site may be perceived as a subject or an object-orientated experience. While the former invites an emotional reaction based on personal association, the later suggests a detached response grounded in a transfer of knowledge. This paper considers the role of heritage legislation in shaping such perceptions. Using archival research and site observations, the paper specifically examines the impact of different State-based heritage legislation on the adoption of contrasting redevelopment and site management strategies at two historic railway workshop complexes in Australia. The two sites are the Eveleigh Railway Workshops in New South Wales where an object-centred approach was adopted, and the Ipswich Workshops in Queensland where a subject-centred approach was employed. Although both sites are comparable in terms of their history, scale and cultural significance, the alternative approaches to redevelopment and management have resulted in different perceptual experiences for visitors. The paper reveals the subliminal impact of heritage legislation and suggests the need to consciously manage perceptual experiences, firstly, as a strategic objective in any redevelopment process and, secondly, as a means to integrating meaningful site-specific interpretation into the longer term management of cultural significance.

Cultural Value and Sustainable Development: A Framework for Assessing the Tourism Potential of Heritage Places

In January 2015, the remote mining centre of Broken Hill became the first city inscribed on the Australian National Heritage List. Despite the ambiguous effects of heritage listing on tourism, Broken Hill’s mining heritage has been promoted as a key post-mining development strategy by the city council. A better understanding of the dimensions of a successful and sustainable heritage tourism product would enhance the effectiveness of the city’s strategic planning process. There are few instruments, however, designed to assess the tourism potential of complex and extensive industrial heritage sites. Building on previous work by McKercher and Ho (J Sustain Tour, 14(5):473–488, 2006), this chapter situates heritage within a broader theoretical framework that includes marketing management and sustainable development. Five value dimensions of a sustainable heritage tourism product are identified – cultural, physical, product, experience and sustainability. The five-dimensional evaluation instrument is then tested on Broken Hill and three comparable industrial World Heritage sites. While Broken Hill’s cultural, physical and sustainability dimensions rate strongly, the product and experience dimensions rate poorly. The remoteness of the city and isolation from other complimentary attractions are unalterable characteristics and fatal weaknesses, regardless of other factors.

Icons: the making, meaning and undoing of urban icons and iconic cities†

This is a conference report on the 13th Australasian Urban History/Planning History Conference.