Guidance on heritage impact assessments

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to introduce the papers selected for the current issue. Furthermore, it provides a common background in presenting and discussing the role of heritage impact assessments, considering the projected growth of their implementation not exclusive to World Heritage properties and their potential role in bringing cultural heritage management and sustainable development closer together.Design/methodology/approachFrom a brief introduction to the background and state‐of‐the‐art on heritage impact assessments, this article describes and explains the ten guidelines recently published to assist cultural heritage managers on the application of heritage impact assessments for World Heritage properties. After this, the role of heritage impact assessments in bridging cultural heritage management and sustainable development will be discussed and new doors opened for further research within the field.FindingsTen recommendations to structure and classify heritage impact assessments have been identified throughout the ICOMOS guidance on Heritage Impact Assessments for World Heritage properties. Yet, only further research and opportunities to implement them will validate their contribution to the efficiency of World Heritage site management.Originality/valueIn providing an overview of heritage impact assessments, this paper is useful to the readers of the journal interested in guidelines on heritage impact assessments for World Heritage properties, and in the wider ramifications of the management of properties designated as cultural heritage. It introduces the state‐of‐the‐art on heritage impact assessments and reveals areas where research has been lacking, which can be taken up by researchers working on this aspect, or even to highlight the relevance of their ongoing research.

Good practice for industrial heritage sites: systematization, indicators, and case

“…The literature includes specific discussion on good practice; however, more often, historic cities are considered, rather than explicitly referencing industrial heritage (Rodwell, 2002(Rodwell, , 2006Strange and Whitney, 2003;Stubbs, 2004;Ling et al, 2007;Araoz, 2011;Landorf, 2011;Pereira Roders and van Oers, 2011;Bandarin and van Oers, 2012;Pereira Roders and van Oers, 2012;Labadi and Logan, 2016;Pickard, 2016). These articles and publications mention diverse indicators of good practice, which can be structured along the systematization done so far.…”

Roadmap for the Nomination of Reconstructed Cultural Properties for Inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List

“…The property, therefore, must be compared to similar ones [1] (pp. [67][68][69][70][71], [3] (paragraph 132.3). Its present state of conservation and the factors (threats, pressures) affecting it must be specified as well [1] (pp.…”

“…EIA is both objective (proven cause effect relationship) and subjective (based on professional judgment). Unlike EIA, however, HIA is a study that "focuses specifically on proposals for change to a particular asset or area of cultural significance" [71] (p. 105) and it should, ideally, "show a balance between the need to conserve and the need to allow development that benefits" communities and users [72] (p. x). In some cases, "the harm to or loss of the heritage asset is outweighed by the benefits of bringing the site back into use" [72] (p. 20).…”

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

“…His concept of ‘survey’ (knowing and understanding the city), which lays on ‘the idea of finding, by dissecting, the essential character of a historic city, as this conditions both its environment and its occupation’ (Veldpaus, 2015, p. 42), led to the creation of modern, evidence-based planning process of urban development, and was very similar to what is called today ‘cultural significance assessment’ or ‘heritage impact assessment’ (Pereira Roders & Van Oers, 2012, p. 105). His vision may be observed to this day in his native Edinburgh (Veldpaus, 2015, p. 44).…”