Heritage Impact Assessment Research Articles

Visual Impact Assessment Method for Cultural Heritage: West Lake Cultural Landscape in Hangzhou, China

Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) is a critical tool in managing cultural heritage, evaluating the impacts of development and construction projects on the visual aspects of heritage values. However, VIA is often constrained by subjectivity, low public participation, and a lack of generalizability. This study aims to develop a methodological framework for a more objective and comprehensive assessment of visual impacts on cultural heritage. The study establishes criteria for indicators based on the value attributes of cultural heritage, develops an assessment indicator system, and integrates visual sensitivity assessment through multi-factor calculations with visual perception assessment using the AHP method and questionnaire surveys. This constructs an assessment framework that combines both objectivity and subjectivity. The Shangri-La Hotel East Building project at the World Heritage site of the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, China, is employed as a case study to empirically demonstrate the framework’s practicality and effectiveness. The results indicate that the Shangri-La East Building significantly impacts the attributes of the West Lake. The conclusion demonstrates that the indicator system, grounded in the attributes of cultural heritage, enhances the framework’s applicability across different contexts. The integrated assessment framework, which includes both a quantitative assessment of visual sensitivity and a public-participation-based assessment of visual perception, is shown to be effective in predicting the visual impacts of proposed projects on heritage values. The study also underscores the importance of Heritage Impact Assessment as a preliminary evaluation.

Evolution of heritage and development in Liverpool's waterfront over 40 years

The recent delisting of Liverpool’s World Heritage Site has highlighted the adverse impacts of ongoing urban developments on the city’s heritage. This study aims to address the critical question of how Liverpool can safeguard its heritage following the loss of its World Heritage status. As this status withdrawal implies a lack of international policy consideration, it raises important questions: What additional measures should be implemented? How could we reassess Liverpool's heritage in this new context? To tackle these issues, we investigate the changing relationship between safeguarding heritage and urban development on Liverpool Waterfront’s Historic Urban Landscape over the past 40 years. This study analyses the impact of developments on Liverpool’s heritage values, specifically focusing on Integrity, Authenticity, and Outstanding Universal Value. By employing a novel, top-down heritage impact assessment methodology, we evaluate the influence of urban and architectural developments on these values. This methodology is distinguished by its comprehensive comparative analysis of diverse elements drawn from heritage policy documents, spanning both tangible and intangible domains. In addition, we conducted interviews with experts familiar with Liverpool's heritage context to deepen our understanding of developmental impacts. The analysis framework comprises three case study areas and their associated developments: the adaptive reuse of the Albert Dock Complex (1981–1988), the Pier Head Developments (2007–2013), and the Stanley Dock Conservation Area (2021 onwards). The findings indicate that adaptive reuse schemes have been reasonably successful in preserving heritage values, whereas certain urban interventions have had detrimental effects. This study underscores the need for stricter regulations and broader stakeholder involvement to protect Liverpool's heritage. Further research is recommended, incorporating more development case studies and examining successful urban interventions in other heritage cities, to strengthen Liverpool’s heritage safeguarding strategies amidst evolving urban development pressures.

Beyond inundation: a comprehensive assessment of sea level rise impact on coastal cultural heritage in China

The rise in sea levels, driven by global climate change, poses a significant threat to cultural heritage in coastal regions. Traditional risk assessment methods, focusing on direct inundation, often fail to consider the crucial impact of socio-economic factors, which are significantly vulnerable to sea level rise. To bridge this gap, this study introduces an innovative Sea Level Rise Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment Model (SLR-CHIA Model), a novel approach that integrates both land inundation and socio-economic aspects. This comprehensive model evaluates potential risks to various types of cultural heritage in coastal China, including intangible cultural heritage, relics, and traditional villages. The study’s findings are striking: (1) About 7.79% of coastal villages, 53.94% of relics, and 2.53% of intangible cultural heritage are potentially at high risk in a 100-year sea level rise event; (2) Relics in the Eastern coast and villages in the Southern coast are most vulnerable; (3) Different types of cultural heritage rely on diverse principal factors for protection, resulting in varied risk levels under sea level rise conditions. The SLR-CHIA Model provides a vital methodological framework for evaluating cultural heritage risks in other global regions.

Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) as an Alternative Evaluation Tool for Historical Built Heritages in Lahore, Pakistan

Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) are progressively needed to investigate potential impacts and outcomes of development on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of world heritage properties. However, many key stakeholders involved in implementing the World Heritage Convention lack the management system, methodological tools, and guidelines to conduct effective impact assessments in areas without these resources. The paper explores the successful utilization of the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) tool to address concerns raised by UNESCO and civil society. This occurred when the Punjab government initiated the Orange Line Metro Train Project (OLMT) near the World Heritage Shalimar Garden and other historic monuments in Lahore. The project aimed to meet the daily transportation needs of around 2.5 million commuters.

세계유산영향평가(HIA) 도입의 의의와 운영 방향에 관한 연구

In October 2023, the introduction of the HIA in the World Heritage Act was stipulated, and it is scheduled to be implemented a year later. HIA is a management tool that evaluates the positive or negative impact that the proposed development Project can have on heritage and proposes mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate negative effects if the impact is negative. The purpose of this study is to review and propose specific measures necessary to introduce and settle HIA. To this end, existing studies related to HIA at home and abroad and the HIA provisions specified in the World Heritage Act were analyzed, and the main results are as follows.
 In the screening stage, it is necessary to create separate criteria and principles for determining whether an HIA is necessary, and detailed processes accordingly. In the scoping stage, as well as identifying what properties of the heritage are affected by the development project, it is necessary to identify various stake-holders affected by it and ensure their participation from the scoping stage to the entire evaluation process to increase the capacity for evaluation results. In the HIA implementation stage, it is necessary to make a domestic World Heritage Impact Assessment Guide. In the reporting and monitoring stage, the evaluation results are to be reviewed by the Cultural Heritage Committee, and it is suggested that the scope of the subject of review be broadened to various stake-holders.

Heritage impact assessment of Adi Ganga Kalighat, Kolkata, India, towards SDG 11.4 and 8.9 for urban heritage

This study addresses the complex issue of preserving the historic fabric and cultural assets while promoting sustainable development in urban areas, focusing on the Adi Ganga River in Kolkata, India. The problem arises due to the encroachment and poor maintenance of historical sites. The research questions aim to assess the protection of Adi Ganga River's historic fabric and enhance heritage preservation in line with UN SDGs 11.4 and 8.9, emphasizing cultural conservation and sustainable tourism supporting regional heritage and livelihoods. The study utilizes Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) to evaluate the protection of Adi Ganga River’s historic fabric and enhance heritage preservation in line with sustainable development goals. It provides an impact assessment matrix for mitigating the adverse impact of development projects on cultural heritage sites and reveals 25 critical development indicators. HIA is an effective tool for preserving cultural heritage assets and achieving sustainable development goals. Incorporating HIA into the Environmental Impact Assessment structure can create an organized and transparent process for assessing the ecological implications of development projects on cultural heritage sites. The findings emphasize the significance of sustainable HIA for preserving tangible/intangible heritage, promoting tourism and employment, and balancing sustainability and culture in sustainable development. This research holds significance as it emphasizes the importance of cultural heritage in fostering sustainable development and aligning with UN SDGs. Policymakers should consider incorporating sustainable HIA in decision-making to balance sustainability and culture.

Role of Heritage Impact Assessment in Sustaining Historic Sites

Role of Heritage Impact Assessment in Sustaining Historic Sites

Reconciling Development Infrastructure and Heritage Protection, Through Heritage Impact Assessments: A Case Study of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Omo Valley of Ethiopia

Development infrastructure and heritage protection are equally important to many societies and countries in the world. Therefore, it is vital to reconcile both needs of development infrastructure and heritage protection through methods of heritage impact assessment (HIA) conducted using International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) guidelines. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Omo valley of Ethiopia is home to various palaeontological, archaeological and paleoanthropological records and, hence, has huge significance to the world as well as to Ethiopia. A road construction designed to pass through the Shungura Formation in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Omo valley of Ethiopia poses a serious problem to the heritage site, and an HIA was conducted to investigate thoroughly the impacts of the road construction on the heritage site. The ICOMOS guideline is a useful tool to carry out HIA, and it is used as a guiding method to conduct the HIA. In order to assess the impacts, data from the key attributes of the heritages were collected; these data are faunal fossils, archaeological records such as stone tools and geological exposures used to date fossils. These are the features that make the heritage site significant, and concentrations of these data from 4 m by 4 m gridded areas are assessed through ICOMOS guidelines, and high concentrations of faunal fossils and archaeological records are found in the areas where the road construction was designed to pass. The impacts of the road construction on the key attributes of the heritage vary from adverse effects (A1 and A4) to severe adverse effects (A2 and A3). Therefore, the road construction design Alt-00 adversely affects the heritage-bearing Shungura Formation which hosts the key attributes of the heritages in the Omo valley of Ethiopia. Following the results of this HIA, an alternative road construction design Alt-03 was suggested, and the new road construction design is adopted by the Ethiopian Road Authority. This particular study from the Omo valley of Ethiopia has played a significant role in saving the heritage sites and has also important implications in balancing the needs of heritage protection and development infrastructure to other parts of the country and elsewhere in the world, and it is a good contribution to future research related to heritages and impacts of development infrastructures.

Timing's Influence on the Efficacy of Heritage Impact Assessment: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

This study aims to emphasize the growing importance of Heritage Impact Assessment in managing world cultural heritage, as it faces various challenges posed by urban development policies. Heritage Impact Assessment is seen as a crucial tool for achieving the balance between preserving cultural heritage and fostering development. The study focuses on the outcomes of the application of Heritage Impact Assessment in five world cultural heritage sites, each facing unique development projects, located in different countries. A case study research method was adopted to provide an in-depth analysis within specific contexts. The results were obtained through a comparative qualitative analysis, which aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the correlation between the timing of implementation and its connection to the efficacy of the evaluation. The results showed that the timing of the implementation of Heritage Impact Assessment can have a significant impact on the final outcome of the evaluation but other factors also play a role, adequate methodology, contextual, and institutional factors. The results demonstrated the two-fold nature of heritage impact assessment, dependent on the time of application: proactive assessment, which helps enhance the world heritage's resilience and prepare it for future development initiatives, and curative assessment, which serves as a corrective measure for specific projects.

Monitoring and Assessment Heritage Tool: Quantify and classify urban heritage buildings

Urban areas and historical centres are exposed to climate change, decay, human threats, among other menaces, which jeopardize their safeguard. Besides, in general, stakeholders, or decision-makers, do not require interventions to be sustained by previous evaluations of their impact in the urban heritage. To fill this gap, the international organizations in charge of the protection of cultural heritage (e.g., UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM), in line with what happens with the environment, request a holistic and integrated evaluations, regarding heritage impact assessment to maintain the urban heritage.The paper proposes a Monitoring and Assessment Heritage Tool (MAHT) to collect data concerning heritage, technical and social dimensions of urban heritage buildings. This tool aims to create shared databases, using a systematic assessment and monitoring to identify attributes and transformations, especially regarding physical features of urban fabrics and buildings, and the quality of life of citizens. It involves data analysis, supported by statistical procedures, which underline complementarity dimensions, and combined indicators, i.e., distinct levels of quantitative information. Finally, the paper concludes that, as a holistic assessment tool, MAHT contributes to catalogue buildings in cities, providing structured and systematised data, to support the decision-making processes of the different stakeholders at different urban heritage levels.

The Heritage Impact Study Assessment (HIA) in the sustainable development of the Coast of Melaka

Through the strategic plan of Melakaku Maju Jaya 2035 (PSMJ 2035), the State of Melaka has implemented several modern development policies aimed at triggering the economy and increasing the state’s revenue. One of the aspects applied is the question of land development in Melaka through the introduction of the Melaka-Waterfront Economic Zone (M-WEZ) project. This development project involves the development of an area of 10,117 hectares along the coast of Central Melaka. However, the results of this development planning have directly triggered a polemic among state policy planners and the National Heritage Department, since this development involves several very sensitive issues. Among the issues that are often raised is the preservation and conservation of the heritage and history of the state of Melaka. Therefore, the writing of this article will describe the role and process of Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) as a conflict-solving tool in assessing the implications, as well as provide recommendations and mitigation measures that need to be implemented in any area to be developed, especially in the aspect of maritime HIA study, to enable both the sustainable development and maintenance of the historical heritage of the state of Melaka to move in line with development. Highlights HIA acts as a conflict-solving tool in the dispute of heritage versus development in the Melaka coastal area Methodology used in the HIA study involves local oral history (interviewing informants), scientific survey, and visual survey Artifacts found in the Melaka coastal area in this HIA study are not so significant to the state's heritage and history Developers need to be careful during the reclamation stage as precautionary measures The establishment of the Heritage Impact Assessment study is a significant step forward regarding the conservation and protection of the cultural World Heritage values

World Cultural Heritage Management Toolkit: Heritage Impact Assessment. Features and Prospects for Use in Russia

This study focuses on Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), which is one of the elements of the World Heritage protection system and aimed at maintaining the Outstanding Universal Value. Due to the absence in the domestic scientific literature of works devoted to a generalizing understanding of the goals and objectives of Impact Assessment in the system of cultural heritage protection, the author focuses on revealing the content side of the concept of Impact Assessment, examines the process and reasons for the introduction of HIA as an independent tool for planning, managing changes and achieving public consent, identifies and analyzes the key principles for its implementation. Based on a consistent analysis of the provisions of international and domestic normative and methodological documents, as well as the practice of the Heritage Impact Assessment, conclusions are drawn about the aspects of the interpretation of the content, problems and prospects for using this tool for managing World Heritage in Russia. Attention is paid to the relevance and importance of Impact Assessments for the conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value of urban World Heritage sites and properties located in the urban environment. As a result of the study, the author formulated recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of the HIA and its full integration into the national heritage protection system.

Penerapan Penilaian Dampak Heritage Warisan Arsitektur Rumah Jawa di Desa Wisata Brayut dalam Pengelolaan Berkelanjutan

<p class="Abstract"><em><span lang="EN-GB">Heritage impact assessment is used to communicate negative impacts on important values of heritage attributes that need to be preserved. Therefore, should used integrated, and sustainable risk management strategies will be found. This study used qualitative methods with descriptive analysis techniques. Five stages were carried out, including observation, interviews, determining the main attributes of the property, analyzing the level of positive and negative impacts, and finally, providing recommendations for mitigation strategies. The results showed that implementated strategies as follow a). stipulating the principles and concepts of heritage preservation that involve protection, adaptive reuse and sustainable development; b). increase public awareness; c). long-term planning through tourism activities and traditional activities.</span></em></p>

The Multidimensional Evaluation of Cultural Heritage Regeneration Projects: A Proposal for Integrating Level(s) Tool—The Case Study of Villa Vannucchi in San Giorgio a Cremano (Italy)

The challenges of sustainable development are mainly concentrated in the cities. Therefore, they represent a key place for implementing strategies and actions to achieve (or not achieve) sustainable development objectives. In this perspective, the circular city model represents a new way of organizing the city. As demonstrated by a variety of best practices, the entry points for triggering circular processes at the urban scale are various. In this paper, cultural heritage is presented as the entry point for the implementation of this new urban development model. The focus here is on the implementation tools, with a particular emphasis on the evaluation tools for assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of this model, that is, the multidimensional benefits that it can produce. The Level(s) tool, proposed by the European Commission in 2017, is the only officially recognised assessment tool related to the circular economy at the European level. It aims to evaluate the performance of new buildings from a circular economy perspective. This paper intends to expand the field of action of the aforementioned tool to projects related to cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the Level(s) tool has some weaknesses in relation to values and attributes that need to be considered when dealing with cultural heritage. This paper proposes an evaluation framework for assessing cultural heritage renovation and reuse projects, considering all its values and the multidimensional impacts that they are able to produce (economic, social, environmental impacts) in the city. The starting point for the development of the proposed evaluation framework is the Level(s) tool by the European Commission. On the basis of critical considerations, this tool is integrated with criteria and indicators deduced from other previous studies and other official tools on this issue (Green Building Council and Heritage Impact Assessment tools). The evaluation framework is here tested to evaluate the renovation/reuse project of Villa Vannucchi, a historic building located in the city of San Giorgio a Cremano in the metropolitan city of Naples (Italy).

Reconciling the Bryggen World Heritage Property with Bergen’s Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development through Heritage Impact Assessment

This case study sheds light on potential ways of embedding water-related heritage in an integrated strategy of sustainable urban development in Bergen, Norway. Particular attention is paid to the ongoing Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) process in Bergen, which was started in 2019 to assess potential impacts of Bergen’s new transport strategy on the World Heritage site. Various HIA reports have been compiled and discussed with Bergen’s planning authorities, other experts and in a public hearing process. The municipality of Bergen has used the HIA to reconcile the preservation of the Bryggen World Heritage site and its historic harbor setting with its strategy for sustainable urban development. Hence, the HIA is serving as an essential tool to implement the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development.

Sea reclamation in XLIV urban area, Central Malacca District, Malacca: From the perspective of Heritage Impact Assessment study

Sea reclamation in XLIV urban area, Central Malacca District, Malacca: From the perspective of Heritage Impact Assessment study

Does local planning culture influence the effectiveness of impact assessments?: reflecting on infrastructure projects in a Dutch UNESCO World Heritage site

ABSTRACT We explore whether local planning culture influences the effectiveness of heritage impact assessment (HIA) and we discuss the legitimacy of ICOMOS, the international advisory body to UNESCO on cultural heritage. We examined the HIA processes for two proposed infrastructure projects that potentially could affect the Defence Line of Amsterdam World Heritage site in the Netherlands. We interviewed key stakeholders involved in decision-making about these projects, and found that the Dutch planning culture positively influenced the effectiveness of the HIA processes. The interviewees predominantly discussed the substantive and transactive effectiveness of the HIA processes in that they praised the practitioner for facilitating a clear, inclusive and transparent process and having a solution-oriented mindset, which is common practice in the Dutch planning culture. However, in contrast to the Dutch planning culture, the role of ICOMOS was perceived as opaque and a ‘black box’, although this did not decrease its legitimacy among the key stakeholders.

Tanzanian Environmental Impact Assessment Laws and Practice for Projects in World Heritage Sites

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an integral component of sound decision-making. Environmental impact assessment helps to prevent or reduce environmental harms by informing the decision-makers the likely environmental impacts of intended project, its alternatives and/or mitigation measures before the implementation starts. This study examines the effectiveness of Tanzania EIA laws and related practice on the protection of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the world heritage sites during implementation of development projects. The study used data obtained from government officials, policies, laws and reports; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and World Heritage Committee reports; and scholarly works. The study demonstrates that Tanzania EIA laws are inadequate to ensure effective protection of OUV of world heritage sites against harms caused by development projects. The laws do not guarantee effective and broader participation of stakeholders and inclusion of heritage impact assessment in EIA study. The study, therefore, recommends for reform of EIA laws and institutions responsible for supervising EIA.

The Role of the Archeological Heritage Sites in the Process of Urban Regeneration of UNESCO’s Cities—Boka Bay Case Study

The role of the archeological and cultural heritage sites in the process of urban regeneration in UNESCO’s protected areas becomes more and more important for the natural and cultural heritage protection in the touristic cities with urban expansion. However, there is no clear methodological approach for the inclusion of these important natural and cultural heritage sites in the process of urban regeneration of the cities. The purpose of this study is to analyze how two contemporary urban planning tools, sustainable urban mobility plans and heritage impact assessments, contribute to the protection and sustainable use of archeological sites. The methodology that is used in this study is dual, theoretical, through literature review, and empirical, through the appliance of the case study method and expert observation and mapping of the most valuable archeological sites in Boka Bay. The results of this study show that practical usage of the two proposed tools in the process of urban regeneration could help in cultural and natural heritage protection and their inclusion as drivers of sustainable urban planning and cultural heritage management. The results of the study confirm the authors’ hypothesis that the role of the archeological sites in the process of urban regeneration is evident in the touristic cities in the coastal area of Montenegro, concluding that urban mobility principles and heritage impact assessment studies must be considered in the process of urban regeneration while at the same time cultural (archeological) heritage management is an integral part of this process.

POST-CONSERVATION EVALUATION (PCE) ON HISTORIC BUILDINGS: AUTHENTICITY OF ADAPTIVE REUSE MUSEUMS IN GEORGE TOWN, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Adaptive reuse has apparently become a favourable means of built heritage conservation in the UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) of Melaka and George Town. In most cases, adaptive reuse implementations inflict conflicting demands to historic buildings in terms of meeting new functional needs and retaining physical authenticity. Inappropriate implementation of adaptive reuse for historic buildings within WHS may result in the violation of Outstanding Universal Values (OUVs). The purpose of this study is to determine the authenticity condition of historic buildings on their post-conservation phase, after adaptive reuse implementation. Five historic buildings namely the Penang State Museum (PSM), Made in Penang Interactive Museum (MIPIM), Sun Yat Sen Museum (SYSM), Batik Painting Museum (BPM) and Dark Mansion-3D Glow in the Dark Museum (DM) were evaluated through field observation. In accommodating the museum function, three elements were found to be intervened inappropriately at these buildings namely the internal wall, windows, and building services. The findings of this evaluative study can be useful to technical review panels appointed by heritage authorities, in scrutinising heritage impact assessment (HIA) reports and evaluating future proposals concerning adaptive reuse projects of historic buildings within WHS.