Architecture research in urban heritage resilience: a systematic literature review

Abstract

The conservation of urban heritage is an important process in maintaining the sustainability of urban areas. Sustainability in the context of urban heritage includes the management and conservation of cultural and physical heritage, as well as its harmonious integration with the development of existing social and economic dynamics. Historic cities and urban heritage areas are threatened from both internal and external sources, ranging from over-development of tourism, lack of support for cultural management, and preservation threatened by development projects that are not in line with the characteristics of the area. The objective of this paper is to conduct a literature review pertaining to urban resilience research within the field of architecture, and to provide an analysis of the factors that contribute to the resilience of urban heritage areas. This study applied the systematic literature review method, using the PRISMA 2020 statement as a reference. The methodology involved searching for articles in the DOAJ and Scopus databases with a time limit of 2010 to 2023. Based on this research, it was found that there are a number of factors that contribute to urban resilience and urban heritage, including cultural, economic, social, heritage, environmental and institutional. It also proved that the conservation and enhancement of urban heritage, such as historic buildings, cultural landmarks and other elements that make up a city’s identity, is strongly influenced by architecture. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of a multi-dimensional and collaborative approach to the conservation process. This study shows that the conservation of urban heritage plays an important role in achieving holistic urban resilience. However, there are several challenges and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed in future research, such as the integration of sustainability with urban heritage conservation, participatory management to engage local communities, and the development of effective methods to identify and mitigate risks to urban heritage.