Stakeholders' perception and competitiveness of heritage towns: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Although urbanization is a distinguishing element of the contemporary era, the current model of urban growth fundamentally modifies the perspective-competitive environment, frequently diminishing positive stakeholders' perceptions and, as a result, endangering heritage continuity and tourism. A more harmonic relationship should be considered in an innovative perspective-economic inter and intra-regional heritage site planning and design paradigm. This study, therefore, intends to identify important concepts and theories that could underpin this new paradigm through a rigorous literature assessment of 188 articles. Within the fields of growth, conservation, feedback, and neutrality hypotheses, theoretical and practical ramifications are examined. The integrated and holistic concluding research identifies notions of a required novel paradigm embodying the fundamental qualities encompassing stakeholder perception and competitiveness of heritage towns.