Urban World Heritage Sites and the problem of authenticity

Abstract

The number of designated World Heritage Sites (WHS) has proliferated across the world over the last two decades. Often associated with relatively self-contained sites of historic or architectural importance and their immediate surroundings, an increasing number of urban WHS now extend to broader areas within cities. The urbanness of WHS presents a series of challenges related to the designation, assessment and management of conservation objects in the context of dynamic and heterogeneous urban systems. One dimension that is often commented on is the tension between authentic conservation and commodification. However, there are also issues around how the ‘urban experience’ is treated. In this paper we discuss the difficulty of translating traditional conservation concepts, which we centre on the concept of authenticity, to the diverse and dynamic urban contexts urban WHS represent, and the concerns over their management that result. Specifically we explore the ‘coming to ground’ of the WHS designation in three British urban contexts. It is argued that the urban problematic of conservation is leading to something of a crisis in WHS designation as a primarily object-based logic is forced to contend with the complexities of place. This is beginning to lead to a changing set of practices related to urban WHS management.