Planning Perspectives and Approaches for Activating Underground Built Heritage

Carlos Smaniotto Costa,Konstantinos Lalenis,Petja Ivanova-Radovanova,Monica Bocci,Tatiana Ruchinskaya,Marluci Menezes

doi:10.3390/su131810349

Abstract

This paper delivers actionable recommendations towards building a rationale for activating and promoting Underground Built Heritage (UBH) based on the nexus heritage, territory and society, and making use of existing literature and findings from five international cases. The research was conducted in the framework of the working group on Planning Approaches of the COST Action Underground4value. The analysis of the cases aims to provide guidelines for this working group and to benchmark good practices in activating UBH. It highlights the importance of community-led initiatives, leadership and dialogue and power sharing between the local/regional authorities and communities aiming for better understanding of the potential of UBH. The successes and/or failures of the five cases emphasise the importance of knowledge and experience in participatory approaches. Success was verified, when effectiveness and democratic principles were combined in the planning process, and local history is integrated with citizen science, co-creation and placemaking. The analysed approaches stimulate a new hybrid layer for activating UBH, provide mechanisms of mediation between people and heritage, and contribute to cultural and social dimensions of sustainability. This is a highly challenging endeavour, as it seeks to support and advance a sound understanding of UBH as a sustainable resource, backed by strategic stakeholder dialogue and contextual knowledge. Such effort requires a dynamic understanding of UBH values, knowledge, abilities and skills, towards creating more effective coalitions of “actors” within localities, by developing structures, which encourage long term collaborative relationships.

Highlights

IntroductionUnderground Built Heritage (UBH), as defined by the COST Action Underground4value [1], is a unique cultural resource below the surface of the Earth, and includes natural and anthropic caves, underground burial/rites structures, mines and quarries, dwellings and infrastructures (cisterns, ancient drainage systems, tunnels, etc.) [2]
With the loss of its original purpose, an Underground Built Heritage (UBH) asset often falls into oblivion and becomes part of a hidden and forgotten cultural landscape
By examining particularities and challenges of each case and their impacts on the success or failure of the projects, the analysis suggests that the local history linked to the heritage and the social context is an effective way to increase intensity and scope of community engagement

Summary

Introduction

Underground Built Heritage (UBH), as defined by the COST Action Underground4value [1], is a unique cultural resource below the surface of the Earth, and includes natural and anthropic caves, underground burial/rites structures, mines and quarries, dwellings and infrastructures (cisterns, ancient drainage systems, tunnels, etc.) [2]. With the loss of its original purpose, an UBH asset often falls into oblivion and becomes part of a hidden and forgotten cultural landscape. UBH assets are often unexplored, not documented and underexploited [1]. The project Underground4value aims at systematising academic knowledge

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion