Things we hold dear

Not only the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), but also researchers have called for the involvement of local communities in the management of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in the last decade. Despite awareness of this need for local involvement, there is no consensus regarding common criteria and implementation methods, especially in the case of small urban neighbourhoods. This research seeks to fill that gap by exploring different participatory actions with local communities in the neighbourhoods to identify and inventory their ICH. A participatory process was conducted in the Fontanalla neighbourhood of the city of Malaga and included expert opinions and local knowledge. Informal interviews, observational works and participatory actions were used to collect extensive data, which was then categorised and analysed. The results allowed the singularities and traditions to be recognised as part of their ICH. An ICH inventory is proposed with the involvement of the local community. The results from collected data and the suggested methodology to activate ICH participatory processes are expected to be useful for researchers and practitioners working on Intangible Cultural Heritage as well as Urban Regeneration in cities.

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is deeply embedded in everyday social life, yet its officially recognized spatial distribution reflects both the independent influences of cultural traditions, development trajectories, and governance practices, and the complex interactions among them. Focusing on 494 national-level ICH items across ten categories in Jiangsu(J), Zhejiang(Z), and Shanghai(H), this study adopts a social-geographical perspective to examine both the spatio-temporal evolution and the driving mechanisms of ICH recognition in one of China’s most developed regions. After rigorous verification of point-based ICH locations, we combine kernel density estimation and the average nearest neighbor index to trace changes across five batches of national designation, and then employ the univariate and interaction detectors of the Geodetector model to assess the effects of 28 natural, socioeconomic, and cultural-institutional variables. The results show, first, that ICH exhibits significant clustering along river corridors and historical cultural belts, with a persistent high-density core in the Shanghai–southern Jiangsu–northern Zhejiang zone and a clear shift over time from highly concentrated to more dispersed and territorially balanced recognition. Second, human-environment factors—especially factors such as urban and rural income and consumption; residents’ education and cultural expenditures; and public education and cultural facilities—have far greater explanatory power than natural conditions, while different ICH categories embed distinctively in urban and rural socio-economic contexts. Third, bivariate interactions reveal that natural and macroeconomic “background” variables are strongly amplified when combined with demographic and cultural factors, whereas interactions among strong human variables show bivariate enhancement with diminishing marginal returns. In summary, these findings enrich international debates on the geography of ICH by clarifying how recognition processes align with regional development and social equity agendas, and they provide a quantitative basis for category-sensitive, place-based strategies that coordinate income policies, public cultural services, and the joint safeguarding of tangible and intangible heritage in both urban renewal and rural revitalization planning.

Between Flexibility and Reliability

Urban community regeneration and community vitality revitalization through participatory planning in China

The Mediterranean basin is affected by extreme weather phenomena that are increasing in frequency and intensity. To the effects of these climate changes a broad response must be provided by the population, structures and infrastructure involved. Affecting a wide variety of issues, this increase therefore requires an interdisciplinary assessment of impacts (economic, social and environmental). In fact, climate change and land use are the main drivers of environmental and socioeconomic transformations of landscapes and coastal areas. This study presents an interdisciplinary and participatory research methodology that analysed a coastal case study, the Trabocchi Coast (Abruzzo Region, Italy) characterized by a typical kind of vernacular architecture, the "trabocchi", increasingly threatened by climate change. The objective of the study was to assess the resilience of these coastal structures, "fishing machines" identified by the community as intangible cultural heritage, meaning their ability to cope with and adapt to changes while maintaining their identity and recognisability. The adopted approach combined quantitative and qualitative data from meteorological analysis, literature review, and field surveys. The investigation of specific weather events was conducted considering both large-scale long-term analysis (using the ERA5 dataset) and small-scale short-term analysis (models and ground-based sensors). A participatory workshop with the population was organized by the authors at the Municipality of San Vito Chietino with the support of the Municipality itself, from which a significant part of the results emerged. The latter provided an overview of the relevant phenomena that have occurred in recent decades which, by posing a threat to this expression of cultural heritage due to climate change (sea level rise, coastal erosion, storms, flooding, and salinization) have, however, also presented challenges and opportunities for coastal development, stimulating various resilient responses by local communities. Keywords: climate change; trabocchi; intangible cultural heritage; coastal areas; resilience; safeguarding adaptive strategies; heritage uses.

The purpose of the article is to present the main stages, approaches, and tools for preserving intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Ukraine, with particular focus on the role of museums, which are increasingly integrating ICH elements into their work. The object is intangible cultural heritage as an integral component of the social and cultural identity of nations. The subject is the problem of appropriate museumization of ICH. The relevance of this article lies in the fact that traditional museum practices are not always able to represent the living nature of the ICH, which requires a methodological rethinking of the functions of the museum as a space for interaction, communication, and transmission of cultural experience. The methodology of the theoretical analysis in this article is based on historical-cultural, ethnographic, sociocultural, and comparative methods which were employed. These allowed for a comprehensive analysis of current museum practices related to ICH, as well as the study of cultural traditions that are preserved and reproduced by tradition bearers within local communities. The article attempts to compare different methods of documenting and actualizing ICH implemented in ethnographic museums of Ukraine, to determine their effectiveness and their role in ensuring the sustainability of intangible heritage. The results. 1. Museumization of ICH is a strategically important tool for preserving cultural identity and forming public memory, especially in the context of modern challenges such as war, globalization, urbanization, and cultural unification. 2. Modern museums should not only archive or exhibit objects related to the ICH, but also create interactive spaces for the direct participation of tradition bearers and visitors. Formats such as master classes, ritual reconstructions, “live exhibitions” and open-air museums allow us to recreate a full-fledged cultural context in which the ICH is not only presented, but also experienced. 3. It is vitally important for the process of museumization to recognize the value of the ICH element by the local community itself. This recognition is the basic criterion for the existence of the element as part of the heritage and must be preserved in the museum presentation. The participation of communities and practitioners in the process of museumization is not only desirable, but also fundamentally necessary for compliance with international standards for the protection of ICH. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that the article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of contemporary methods of museumization of Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage, taking into account the challenges of war, digitalization, and the involvement of tradition bearers in museum practices. The article substantiates the importance of integrating living practices, festival formats, and digital archives for the preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage within the national museum space. The practical significance of the article lies in the fact that this scientific research emphasizes the significance of its preservation amid contemporary transformations, particularly through museum practices. The authors underline that ICH goes beyond the boundaries of material culture, encompassing unique manifestations of traditions, rituals, knowledge, and skills transmitted from generation to generation. It plays a key role in shaping collective memory, strengthening national consciousness, and supporting cultural diversity — especially in the context of globalization and increasing cultural interaction.

Resilience thinking provides valuable insights into the dynamics of complex adaptive systems. To achieve resilience in urban systems, it can be fruitful to delve into the intricacies of resilience processes. This paper theorizes about how the specific characteristics of resilient systems can be integrated into the spatial design of cities. Emphasizing the importance of the built form and spatial systems in maintaining order within urban processes, we focus on how adaptive renewal cycles can be applied to various systems and dimensions where urban change, adaptation, and renewal occur. The paper identifies key resilient system characteristics applicable to urban spatial form and contextualizes urban renewal within the adaptive renewal cycle—a framework originally developed to capture temporal and spatial ecosystem dynamics. We integrate insights within ‘space syntax theory’, theorizing about how cities renew themselves over space and time. We discuss instances of ‘compressed resilience’ and the challenges posed by the ‘tyranny of small decisions’ in urban planning and development. In conclusion, we identify future research directions in the theory of spatial morphology and resilient urban systems, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of the interplay between urban processes, urban form, resilience, and adaptive renewal.

Regimes of Urban Transformation in Tehran: The Politics of Planning Urban Development in the 20th Century Iran

Urban regeneration is emerging as an important means of transforming cities for development, with built environment as the main object of operation. Modern urban regeneration process has become a mechanism in the evolution of urban landscape, where decision-making factors such as legal, institutional and administrative systems have a direct impact on the implementation of regeneration activities. In turn, the built environment will also influence the urban decision-making process. Accordingly, this article interprets the important role of decision-making factors in urban regeneration from the perspective of urban landscape, taking Liverpool docklands as a case as it bears the history of shipping and trade and is also the main area of Liverpool’s urban regeneration. Based on the literature and official documents, this article reviews the urban regeneration process staging in Liverpool Docklands, identifies the decision-making factors, and constructs an explanatory framework, then the role of decision-making factors in shaping urban landscape is interpreted in stage. It is found that the role of decision-making factors is rooted in the notion of legitimacy of development power and influenced by institutional systems and administrative relationships, generally involving different agents from public, private and intermediate organisations. And the role in shaping urban landscape takes three forms: restrictive, chance and evolutionary.

Culture has become increasingly important in regeneration processes designed to deal with urban futures. Urban regeneration processes in which culture has played a prominent role range from large-scale public investments in cultural facilities and artefacts as ‘hallmarks’ of urban regeneration projects (e.g. Guggenheim Bilbao), through to the use of ‘one shot’ cultural events such as the Olympic Games as a catalyst and engine for regenerating urban areas. The aim of this paper is to examine the association between social capital (SC), local communities and the culture-led regeneration process at Sydney Olympic Park (SOP), New South Wales, Australia. The catalyst for the transformation of an industrial wasteland into SOP was the awarding of the Olympics to Sydney in 1993. A convenience sample of 47 professional reports associated with the regeneration process at SOP between 1993 and 2010 were analyzed, the aim being to understand how local communities had been linked to the regeneration process through SC. Results from the analysis identified three principal associations between SC, local communities and the ongoing SOP regeneration process. The first association related to how, during the early years of the regeneration process, SC was used as a means of expressing concern about how governance mechanisms implemented at SOP might adversely impact the ability of local communities to engage in decision making that affected their local environment. The second related to the use of community development programs to build SC in local communities through the SOP development. The third related to a call for the development of measures to understand how the development of SOP impacts on the SC in local communities. Eight in-depth interviews with professionals involved in the regeneration process were used to provide further insights into the three principal associations. The paper discusses findings through reference to broader arguments surrounding the potential, capacity and nature of SC.

Cultural heritage plays a pivotal role in sustainable tourism by fostering socio-economic development and enhancing community resilience. However, within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, its role remains peripheral, explicitly referenced only in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which emphasizes the protection and preservation of global cultural and natural heritage. Cimande Village in Indonesia, is renowned for its rich Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), including UNESCOrecognized Pencak Silat, traditional bone-setting practices, and religious rituals. Despite its cultural significance, the integration of ICH into sustainable tourism frameworks presents considerable challenges, necessitating strategic approaches that benefit both local communities and visitors. This study aims to identify the key elements of Cimande’s ICH and explore expert recommendations for its sustainable revitalization within the tourism sector. Employing an interpretivist paradigm and a single-case study methodology, this qualitative research integrates literature reviews, observations, surveys, and in-depth interviews conducted between October 2023 and May 2024. The study involved 11 tourism scholars from three universities who met the criterion of having visited Cimande Tourism Village at least three times, along with four tourism practitioners with over a decade of professional experience. The survey utilized open-ended questions administered via Google Forms, with follow-up clarifications and additional inquiries conducted via WhatsApp to ensure response accuracy and completeness. In-depth interviews were conducted telephonically at the request of informants due to scheduling constraints. Data were analyzed using NVivo 12 Plus through thematic and content analysis. This study ensured research credibility through member checking and data triangulation. The findings indicate that the sustainable revitalization of Cimande’s ICH requires a multidimensional approach encompassing innovative cultural tourism concepts, immersive cultural tourism experiences, and the development of tangible cultural products. These strategies integrate cultural, social, economic, and environmental sustainability dimensions, ensuring long-term benefits for both the local community and the tourism industry. This study contributes to theoretical discussions on ICH preservation within sustainable tourism frameworks and offers practical recommendations for tourism developers and policymakers with significant intangible cultural assets. Future research should incorporate comparative case studies and diverse stakeholder perspectives to refine strategies for ICH revitalization.

<p>我國的都市更新政策最早源自民國1973年制訂之都市計畫法「舊市區更新」，後參考美、日等先進國家經驗，於1998年制訂「都市更新條例」，作為我國實施都市更新的依據。希望藉由民間的力量與效率，促進都市土地有計畫之再開發利用，復甦都市機能，改善居住環境與景觀，增進公共利益；同時，藉由都市更新容積獎勵與稅捐減免，期能降低相關權利人重建負擔，提高參與意願。都市更新事業計畫及權利變換計畫為都市更新實際執行之依據，計畫向主管機關申請報核後，實施者團隊歷經主管機關審查、補正、公辧公聽會、幹事會、聽證會等等程序，最後也最為關鍵的程序就是通過都市更新審議。都市更新事業計畫及權利變換計畫之內容，涉及都市計畫、建築、景觀、交通、財務、估價、地政等等相關專業。無論都市更新容積獎勵、人行步道與開放空間留設、公共設施的闢設與捐贈、公益設施的捐贈等等公益(共)議題，以及建築規劃設計、價值評定、選取房屋單元(含停車位)及權利分配等等私權議題，均屬都市更新審議事項。審議委員、主管機關代表、以及實施者團隊，經由簡報、詢答的審議程序，權衡公私權益，以及計畫的可行性，獲致最終的審議結果，是一項必需兼顧效率與效果的高難度任務。本研究針對都市更新相關從業者進行問卷調查，對於臺北市都市更新審議之事前會議通知時間等10項審議品質事項，以及容積獎勵額度等14項審議事項，進行重要性與滿意度調查；並利用重要性-表現分析法(Importance-Performance Analysis ; IPA)，針對回收問卷進行統計分析，篩選出重要性高、滿意度低的因子作為都市更新審議之改善關鍵因素，包含：排會審議案量適當、清楚明快的決議、登記發言異議事項(爭點)、出席審議之委員(組成)、營建費用及特殊因素加計費用、更新前後價值評定、實施者對於人陳異議之處理等7項事項，提供主管機關、實施者、都市更新相關從業者參考，俾精進都市更新審議作業。</p> <p> </p><p>Our country’s urban renewal policy originated from the ""Old Urban Renewal"" Urban Planning Law enacted in 1973 in Taiwan. Later, with reference to the experience of advanced countries such as the United States and Japan, the ""Urban Renewal Act"" was formulated in 1998 as our country’s implementation of urban renewal. This Act is enacted to promote a well-planned urban land redevelopment, revitalize urban functions, and improve urban living environments and landscapes for the public interest through private sector efforts and efficiency. Additionally, urban renewal aimed to reduce the burden of related rights holders through floor area incentives and tax reduced/exempted, thereby increasing their willingness to participate. The urban renewal project plan and the rights transformation plan are the basis for the actual implementation of urban renewal. After the plan is submitted to the competent authority for approval, the implementer team will undergo review, correction, public hearings, director meetings, hearings, etc. and other procedures, the last and most critical procedure is to pass the urban renewal review. The contents of urban renewal project plans and rights transformation plans involve urban planning, architecture, landscape, transportation, finance, valuation, land administration and other related majors. Regardless of public welfare issues such as urban renewal floor area incentives, pedestrian walkways and open space reservations, construction and donation of public facilities, donation of public welfare facilities, etc., as well as architectural planning and design, value assessment, and selection of housing units (including parking spaces) and rights distribution and other private rights issues are all matters for urban renewal review. The review committee members, representatives of the competent authorities, and the implementer team weigh public and private interests and the feasibility of the plan through briefings, question-and-answer review procedures, and arrive at the final review result. This is a difficult task that requires both efficiency and effectiveness. This study conducted a questionnaire survey on practitioners related to urban renewal, and conducted an importance and satisfaction survey on 10 review quality matters such as the notification time of pre-meetings for urban renewal review in Taipei City, and 14 review matters such as floor area incentives; and used Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), conducts statistical analysis on the returned questionnaires, and selects factors with high importance and low satisfaction as key factors for improving urban renewal review, including: appropriate number of cases for deliberation, 7 items including clear and concise resolutions, registration of objections (issues), committee members attending the review (composition), construction costs and special factors plus costs, value assessment before and after the urban renewal, and the implementer’s handling of objections are provided. It is a reference for competent authorities, implementers, and urban renewal-related practitioners to improve urban renewal review works.</p> <p> </p>

Unprecedented urban growth in developing countries impacts the existing urban planning as well as prospective urban regeneration. Therefore, evaluating the prospective suitable sites for built-up area development is important to make sustainable urban planning through the urban regeneration process in the industrial-based urban area Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC). Hence, we analyzed the area-specific built-up suitability using machine learning soft-computing techniques: Artificial Neural Network, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine. The result showed that the edge of the urban center and periphery of the Asansol, Kulti, and Raniganj were found to be very high (21.52%, 19.87%, 26.32%) to high suitable (11.48%, 19%, 27.26%) areas for further urban planning due to vacant land with available services nearby. However, the southern portion, especially along the Damodar River site and the area near the mining sites were found to be low to very low suitable zones due to inadequate service facilities and high pollution. Finally, we proposed a three-tier urban regeneration framework for sustainable built-up development strategies in AMC that helps to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals-3, 8, 11, 12 and 13. The findings of this study will benefit policymakers by pointing out the ideal areas for suitable built-up area development initiatives in the near future.

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) can be a valuable tourism asset for both government and local communities. Due to the fragmented nature of ICH data, it becomes difficult for the researchers to comprehend its impact on the psychology of the interacting tourists. Prior research has shown that traditional crafts and craftsmanship as ICH could be used to promote a place. However, ICH has scarcely been considered as a place branding element. The study apprehends that branding places with ICH will not only upscale the place in terms of ethno-cultural significance but also will integrate the visiting population with the ICH and thereby ensure knowledge propagation and preservation and reinforce the cultural roots. The study proposes a reflective brand model in the context of ICH of Natungram, a village known for its legacy of craftsmanship of wooden dolls. The study used crossover analysis framework (CAF), as a part of causal mixed-method research design, to inquire into the complex psyche of the tourists while interacting with the ICH and the artisans at Natungram. Three distinct brand elements were identified through a qualitative thematic content analysis, namely subjective vitality, authentic experience, and experiential quality. The brand model was tested for its impact on the behavioral pattern of the tourists by using appropriate quantitative method. The results confirmed both direct and partially mediated effects of the brand elements on the tourist behavior. In future, the model could be extrapolated spatiotemporally for places of ICH significance.

Based on evidence from two exploratory case studies, the article examines how intangible cultural heritage can promote sustainable rural development by creating value for rural communities. The studied communities in Bavaria, Germany, and Le Marche, Italy, are closely tied to traditional agricultural practices and their historical legacies. In the German case study, alpine pasture farming has sustained its cultural landscape and tourism for generations, while in the Italian case, the rural sharecropping legacy evolved into a culinary heritage project. Bad Hindelang (Germany) stands out as a mature destination with a long history of sustainable tourism, achieved through collaboration between farmers, conservationists, and the local community. The region balances tourism, conservation, and ecological farming through community participation and collective action. In contrast, Le Marche region (Italy) has only recently experienced increasing numbers of international tourists, but seems well-situated to exploit opportunities for cultural and culinary tourism development. The Marche Food and Wine Memories project has preserved the oral memories and the culinary heritage of former sharecroppers, yet economic value for the region has so far been limited. Post-COVID-19, the region may benefit from increased demand for tourism in culturally appealing, authentic and less crowded destinations. The article emphasises that intangible cultural heritage can enrich the quality of life of local residents and enhance visitors’ experiential value. Innovative approaches like storytelling and participatory engagement make these cultural expressions accessible to wider audiences, including tourists, thus benefiting heritage communities in various ways. Both cases highlight the role of innovation, with Bad Hindelang’s eco-model promoting ecological farming and Le Marche’s project preserving sharecroppers’ heritage through corporate heritage marketing. Collaboration among various stakeholders has been a key to success in both cases. The article also illustrates the range of functions fulfilled by intangible cultural heritage, from restoring social dignity to maintaining landscape aesthetics and ecological integrity.