Assessing the social values of heritage: methods in theory and practice

Whose Heritage

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the heritage value of modern public spaces designed by landscape architects in Canada. Design/methodology/approach The two-pronged research first aimed to verify if evaluation criteria currently used by heritage practitioners could apply to those public spaces. The second research area developed deals with social value. Here, the publicness of public spaces was used to broaden the scope of potential heritage values so as to include one that relates to the appreciation communicated by those who use them. Field enquiries were conducted to capture this social value. Findings The results of the enquiries demonstrate that identifying a social value can be a delicate process. Not only is it a lengthy endeavour, but opinions about the reasons why a place is important can differ amongst users. Public spaces provide us with a valuable reminder about the need to strike a balance between the evolution according to the needs and the desire of users and the conservation of traditional heritage values understood through historical associations and aesthetics. Originality/value This exploratory research was the opportunity to deepen the understanding of what is entailed when referring to social value in heritage conservation processes. It also helped to demonstrate the importance for landscape architects to integrate the field of heritage conservation. Landscape architects are natural allies with the field of heritage conservation’s new paradigm discussed in this paper by which human values are increasingly the focus of conservation instead of the fabric.

Historic buildings in urban areas are valuable heritage and would require effective design for renovation to upgrade these buildings while preserving their heritage characteristics. This current study evaluated renovation requirements: loss of natural and spatial characteristics, single function and lack of building facade design, of a courtyard building in a Beijing historical district. Limitations of the ‘multiple coexistence’ design concept were analysed to fully achieve integration of historical, cultural, social, educational, commercial and economic values while preserving their natural characteristics. Intelligent control strategy and equipment can reshape the spatial lay out and natural environment, to enhance the building function and social value. The design strategy of the skylight to be installed in the courtyard was evaluated by simulation in this study. CFD simulation results show that the air temperature in the courtyard can increase 20% by incorporating a skylight that can be automatically closed in winter. During the summer, the skylight would be open to largely reduce the average air temperature by 1.2°C. The visual impact of external equipment can be mitigated by adding decoration to the courtyard facade. The findings should inform future development of a new design concept, to provide design paradigms for the renewal and renovation of similar historic buildings.

This article looks at the emergence of the concept of social value in Australian heritage practice in the 1990s and argues that contemporary practice should now draw on theoretical perspectives and creative modes of expression to better recognize the profound meanings of and connections to place for communities and cultural groups. In doing so, it points to inadequacies of current heritage practice, noting the narrow definition and limited application of the Australian concept of social value more than thirty years after it was first recognized and added to heritage assessment frameworks. The article argues that there is a need to reimagine the work of identifying, documenting, and assessing social value through a more sensitized form of heritage practice, one that recognizes an embodied, experiential engagement with place that is present for both the community and the heritage practitioner. The article draws extensively on the author’s experience with the concept of social value, recognizing that Australian frameworks and guidance have been influential in several other Western countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and others. The article examines social value in Australian heritage practice by defining four lenses: a “distancing lens,” an “associative lens,” a “relationship lens,” and an “embodiment lens.” The distancing lens ignores the personal meanings that people may attribute to place, with the domination of history and aesthetics used as “objective measures” of heritage, and noting its continuing influence. When social value started to be recognized in heritage assessments in the early 1990s, the concept was initially framed as sentiment and then as association, focusing on demonstrable evidence of the use of a place by broadly defined communities/cultural groups and considering the social, cultural, and spiritual meanings that arise. In the early 2000s, the spatial “turn” in the humanities produced new ways of conceptualizing heritage, framed here as a relationship lens, where feelings of connection to place became framed in terms of agency, affect, and entanglement and where place was seen as an active agent in the processes of human place attachment. These theoretical perspectives, while engagingly framed, have not yet resulted in a shift in heritage practice. The social value framework established in the late 1980s and early 1990s had become institutionally embedded and effectively marginalized. Registers of significant heritage places continued to be dominated by the heritage values best able to be espoused by heritage professionals, not the “places of the heart” held dear by communities. The third lens, embodiment, is based on contemplating a deeper, more intimate relationship between people and place, and at this stage is largely atheoretical. In proposing this lens, the article contemplates what approaches might be used to engage with the idea of the indivisibility of people and place, a sense of mutual embodiment, within heritage practice. While this article does not engage specifically with Indigenous relationship to place and Country, it does acknowledge that Australian heritage practice has been profoundly influenced by the nature of colonial settlement and by the assertion of Indigenous rights (to culture, land, and knowledge). In conclusion, the article considers how recognition of the embodiment lens, even conceptually, may offer a powerful new perspective and encourage development of more integrated, holistic approaches to challenge the exclusionary model that is now so deeply embedded in heritage policy and practice.

Introduction: Current evaluation approaches for new medical technologies are problematic for a plethora of reasons relating to measuring their expected costs and consequences, but also due to hurdles in turning assessed information into coverage decisions. Most adopted methodologies focus on a limited number of value dimensions, despite the fact that the value of new medicines is multi-dimensional in nature. Explicit elicitation of social value tradeoffs is not possible and decision-makers may adopt intuitive or heuristic modes for simplification purposes, based on ad hoc procedures that might lead to arbitrary decisions. Objectives: The objective of the present thesis is to develop and empirically test a methodological framework that can be used to assess the overall value of new medical technologies by explicitly capturing multiple aspects of value while allowing for their tradeoffs, through the incorporation of decision-makers’ preferences in a structured and transparent way. The research hypothesis is that Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) can provide a methodological option for the evaluation of new medicines in the context of Health Technology Assessment (HTA), to support decision-making and contribute to more efficient resource allocation. Methods and Empirical Evidence: The first paper proposes a conceptual methodological process, based on multi-attribute value theory (MAVT) methods comprising five distinct phases, outlining the stages involved in each phase and discusses their relevance in the HTA context. The second paper conducts a systematic literature review and expert consultation in order to investigate the practices, processes and policies of value-assessment for new medicines across eight European countries and identifies the evaluation criteria employed and how these inform coverage recommendations as part of HTA. The third paper develops a MAVT value framework for HTA, incorporating a generic value tree for new medicines composed from different levels of criteria that fall under five value domains (i.e. therapeutic, safety, burden of disease, innovation and socio-economic), together with a selection of scoring, weighting and aggregating techniques. In the fourth and fifth papers, the value framework is tested empirically by conducting two real-world case studies: in the first, the value tree is adapted for the evaluation of second-line biological treatments for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients having received prior oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy; in the second, the value tree is conditioned for the evaluation of third-line treatments for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients having received prior docetaxel chemotherapy. Both case studies were informed by decision conferences with relevant expert panels. In the mCRC decision conference multiple stakeholders participated reflecting the composition of the English National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal committees, whereas in the mCRPC decision conference a group of evaluators participated from the Swedish Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV), thereby adopting the TLV decision-making perspective. Policy Implications: The value scores produced from the MCDA process reflect a more comprehensive benefit metric that embeds the preferences of stakeholders and decisionsmakers across a number of explicit evaluation criteria. The incorporation of alternative treatments’ purchasing costs can then be used to derive incremental cost value ratios based on which the treatments can be ranked on ‘value-for-money’ grounds, reflecting their incremental cost relative to incremental value. Conclusion: The MCDA value framework developed can aid HTA decision-makers by allowing them to explicitly consider multiple criteria and their relative importance, enabling them to understand and incorporate their own preferences and value trade-offs in a constructed and transparent way. It can be turned into a flexible decision tool for resource allocation purposes in the coverage of new medicines by payers but could also be adapted for other decision-making contexts along their development, regulation and use.

This research aims to study the value of the colonial architectural heritage in the center of the old town of Thakhek to promote sustainable tourism with an emphasis on historical, cultural and economic values. The research method is document survey and field survey to present information on the value of colonial architectural heritage in descriptive and analysis method. The results of the study found that 1) Historical, cultural and social values, 2) The value of urban planning and urban structure, 3) Architectural and scenic value, 4) Architectural heritage value and 5). The value of using and promoting heritage and cultural tourism. The research also proposes a way to promote sustainable tourism that involves the participation of all relevant parties including the local community, government agencies and tourism businesses, implementing environmental policies, promoting cultural preservation, supporting the local economy, create sustainability certification standards for tourism businesses, monitor and evaluate economic, social and environmental impacts and create awareness campaigns. The research highlighted the importance of preserving colonial buildings in order to promote tourism, increase cultural identity, and promote economic development. This study has contributed to the understanding of colonial architectural heritage preservation and the impact of sustainable development in the region.

The development of new media has enabled intangible cultural heritage to be disseminated through online platforms and attracted the attention of many contemporary young people. Classification and discussion on the value of intangible cultural heritage is an important way to help the inheritance and dissemination. Real online reviews were collected based on the Bilibili website as the research data source. A text-based BiGRU-Attention model was conducted to achieve value recognition and classification, and keyword statistics and topic analysis were performed for topic discussion among comments. Using the BiGRU-Attention model to classify intangible cultural heritage's contemporary values has a performance with precision, recall, and F1 score of more than 77%, the category of CVP (Cultural Value Perception) has the best classification performance. Through the topic analysis of comments and keywords, the cultural value of intangible cultural heritage is its core connotation, social value is the main purpose, and economic value is the power source. A BiGRU-Attention model based on BERT word embedding is proposed to achieve a text contemporary value perception recognition method based on user-generated content.

Natural hazards pose significant risks to cultural heritage, leading to monetary losses and fatalities annually.  Hazard exposure encompasses spatial, quantitative, and qualitative aspects of potentially impacted elements. Cultural heritage necessitates the integration of both intangible and tangible values in risk assessment frameworks for various reasons, including prioritization in the safeguarding of cultural heritage assets and effective risk management. This study introduces a participatory, quantitative approach to evaluate the social value of cultural heritage for the assessment of natural hazard exposure. The research specifically addresses the challenge of incorporating intangible values, particularly social value, into risk assessment. The methodology employs a web-based pairwise comparison survey where participants answer the question "Which among the following cultural heritage items would you recommend to a friend?" for pairs of heritage items. Each item is presented with a photo, name, and brief description, with pairs selected using the Swiss tournament method to maximize item occurrence. The survey platform, developed using open-source tools (Python, Flask, and MariaDB), transforms qualitative preferences into quantitative scores through eigenvalue analysis of the resulting pairwise comparison matrix. The method was applied to Florence historical city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where 48 heritage buildings were evaluated through 2379 survey responses from the community of local cultural association members. When combined with flood hazard data, the methodology demonstrated how incorporating social values can substantially alter the spatial distribution of exposure compared to traditional hazard mapping. The methodology provides a replicable tool for assessing intangible values in cultural heritage exposure analysis, though results may vary depending on the participating community. This research contributes to improved risk management and prioritization of mitigation measures by incorporating community-based valuation into intangible exposure assessments.Acknowledgement:This work was carried out within RETURN Extended Partnership and received funding from the European Union Next-GenerationEU (National Recovery and Resilience Plan – NRRP, Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3 – D.D. 1243 2/8/2022, PE0000005)

Worldwide, the mangrove ecosystem is in serious decline. The continuous conversion of mangrove vegetation to alternative usage is attributable to the lack of appreciation for the many ecological services, as well as products from the vegetation. As a result, seminal studies have been conducted severally to estimate the economic value of products and services derived from mangroves. However, mangroves also exhibit social value which has been called cultural services of ecosystems, cultural capital of ecosystems and sociocultural perspective of critical natural capital. The social value of mangroves is qualitative and thus antithetical, as well as distinguishable from quantitative economic value in which money is the natural common measurement unit. It is for this very reason that the social value of mangroves is often not captured for policy- and decision-making. This study, therefore, focuses on the social valuation of mangroves in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria using the following social value variables: therapeutic value, amenity value, heritage value, spiritual value and existence value. Results from household surveys conducted in Buguma, Burutu and Kuruama communities in the Niger Delta, as part of this study, revealed various degrees of social value for mangroves in the three communities. A major policy implication emanating from this finding indicates that the decision to convert mangrove vegetation in the Niger Delta to alternative use should be based on the consideration of the pluralism of the value of mangroves. This includes consideration for the economic as well as the social value of mangroves.

The purpose of this study is the discovery of (1) the influence of political ecological values (2) the influence of cultural ecological values (3) the influence of social ecological values, and (4) the influence of the ecological values of imperialism heritage. The data in this study are data about (1) the influence of political ecological values (2) The influence of cultural ecological values (3) The influence of social ecological values, and (4) the influence of the ecological values of imperialism heritage. Data sources are obtained from documentation and interviews. The data collection techniques are carried out with documentation and interviews. Data analysis techniques use interactive techniques. Data validation uses triangulation, both triangulation of theories, data, and methods. The research findings can be described include: (1) the influence of political ecological values (2) The influence of cultural ecological values (3) The influence of social ecological values, and (4) the influence of the ecological values of imperialism inheritance in the literary text writer in Lamongan

This chapter advances our limited knowledge on how residents of historic buildings make decisions on energy efficiency improvements. More specifically, the chapter looks at the dynamic interconnection between 'heritage values' attributed to residences in the world heritage Historic Centre of Mexico City and to the inhabitants' needs to improve thermal comfort and energy performance. In recent years, there is a growing interest in Mexico in retrofitting buildings and regulating energy efficiency. The United Nations Environment Programme for Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative showed that buildings alone generate 12% of Mexico's CO2 equivalent. It further noted that there would be an increase of greenhouse gas emissions by a factor of 6.7 by 2050 without action taken to address the problem (UNEP-SBCI, 2007). Despite this growing interest, the way its regulations are implemented is complicated by a process that does not take into account the way that people who live and work in heritage buildings decide how they improve their energy efficiency. This chapter illustrates how users of five historic residential buildings in Mexico City make decisions about energy efficiency with the ultimate goal of improving thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption. The study consists of five in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the buildings' occupants, whose internal environmental conditions were also monitored. The participants assigned social and cultural values to their buildings to determine the features they would be willing to change, compromise or maintain while endeavouring to improve the energy performance of their buildings. The chapter concludes with the premise that the implementation of any energy efficiency strategy requires an in-depth understanding of such values if a historic building's heritage value is to be sustained.

Historic buildings have been gradually considered within energy efficiency practices and renewable energy systems, but the implementation of such measures is more complex for historic buildings. It is fundamental to understand the importance of users in the heritage-energy sector. Thus, energy conservation practices of historic buildings that involve less invasive interventions that could lead to loss of value must be promoted. The paper illustrates how residents of historic buildings in the Historic Centre of Mexico City (World Heritage) make decisions on energy efficiency with the ultimate goal of improving thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption. This study consists of five in-depth semi-structured interviews complemented by monitoring internal environmental conditions such as temperature and relative humidity. The thematic analysis of the interviews was followed by a system dynamics analysis to better understand the changes in decision making over time. The dynamic hypothesis is that heritage values assigned to historic buildings change over time and they drive or prohibit changes in energy efficiency. Moreover, a tension arises over time between the limitations on listed buildings in which making many changes in use and energy efficiency interventions is prevented. Our results show that participants take passive thermal-comfort actions (e.g., wearing more clothes and closing windows) when internal temperatures are low. They oppose major interventions or invasive retrofitting to the building, given the high cost and potential loss of value assigned to their buildings. The changes the users would consider while dealing with uncomfortable internal conditions are small interventions in floors and ceilings; however, they avoid making changes to aspects they consider are important and must be preserved and protected (social and cultural values). Integrating the understanding of users’ behaviours toward energy efficiency and heritage values can enhance retrofitting policies and guidelines that help protect and maintain the heritage-built stock.

The architectural heritage is a part of the cultural heritage, whose preservation and sustainable development is becoming an important part of the national culture strategies and has received unprecedented attention. But now, architectural heritage is facing the impingement of the rapid development economy and the accelerating urbanization process. The “Constructive Destructions” has reached an unprecedented degree. To a large extent, this should be ascribed to the lack of the understanding to the architectural heritage's value, especially the social value. In order to change the situation and to deepen people's awareness of the architectural heritage value, the paper will analyze the cultural value and economic value of the architectural heritage preservation and then mainly make research on its social value with the theory of the sociology. The ultimate goal is to promote the preservation and sustainable development of the architectural heritage.

Cultural heritage tourism is a multidimensional tourist activity because, apart from the advantages associated with practicing tourist activity, it is particularly associated with cognitive motives when it comes to practicing it, and even with discovering cultural identity. Such an activity has a specific value in relation to the adopted perspective. Researchers often attempt to determine the value that a tourism-related product has for the customer (tourist). Sometimes, it is defined as the value captured by the entity providing the tourism product. However, it is extremely rare for research to assess the social value of tourism. The aim of this work is to identify issues that can be used in measuring the social value resulting from cultural heritage made available in the form of a tourist product. The authors review the literature on cultural heritage and cultural identity, and then use a particular methodology to develop a tool for assessing social value. To develop their own research tool, the authors use the results of research conducted in 2021/2022 among managers of 70 cultural heritage tourism facilities in Europe. As a result, a tool was created that includes six statements that can contribute to the assessment of the social value resulting from the provision of material cultural heritage in the form of a tourist product. The reliability of the tool was estimated at 0.69 and its standardized rating at 0.71. The social value of cultural heritage, in the opinion of experts, achieved an average rating of 4.06 (on a scale from 1 to 5), with the 6-item version of the tool attaining an average rating of 4.10. Taking into account the usefulness of the proposed solutions, remember that the paper reflects only the European vision, which is one of many possible views.

The purpose of this study was to determine the values of Hindu-Buddhist cultural heritage in Mulawarman Museum. This research conducted at the Museum Mulawarman, Tenggarong, Kutai Regency. The results showed that the values of cultural heritage in the Museum Mulawarman are the religious value, historical value, cultural value and social value. Government efforts to preserve the cultural heritage values of Hindu-Buddhist divided into three: guard, care for, and following the rules.