Sustainable Heritage Research Articles

Engaging the Digital Native Generation in Cultural Digital Preservation: Strategies and Approaches for Libraries and Librarians in the Digital Age 4.0

Digital cultural preservation is becoming increasingly important in the digital 4.0 era, where the digital native generation has a central role in the use of digital technology. Libraries and librarians as custodians of knowledge and culture must engage the digital native generation in cultural digital preservation efforts. However, effective strategies and approaches need to be developed to ensure their active participation in this preservation. This study takes a qualitative approach to data collection, including in-depth interviews and a literature review. Data analysis was conducted using thematic techniques to identify strategies and approaches used in engaging the digital native generation. This study found that, several strategies and approaches were found to be effective in engaging the digital native generation in cultural digital preservation. Firstly, libraries should provide easy and intuitive access to cultural digital resources for the digital native generation. Second, a collaborative and participatory approach involves them in the process of curating and determining the direction of cultural digital preservation. Third, training and educational programs should be organized to improve digital literacy and understanding of the importance of digital cultural preservation. This study concluded that engaging digital native in digital cultural preservation requires a holistic and multifaceted approach. Libraries and librarians need to adopt strategies that are responsive to the needs and preferences of digital native. In the digital era 4.0, digital cultural preservation is not just a task for libraries, but a shared responsibility to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of digital cultural heritage for current and future generations.

Social Media as a Management Tool: Opportunities for Sustainable Heritage Destinations

Social Media as a Management Tool: Opportunities for Sustainable Heritage Destinations

Urban Transformation Project: The Case Of Adana Seyhan

Urban transformation projects are extremely important in terms of preserving the unique qualities that make up urban identities and transferring them to future generations. With the successful management and implementation of these project processes, the sustainability of cultural and social heritage can be ensured, and qualified living environments can be designed in accordance with urban identities. The main aim of urban transformation is to create human-oriented cities with livable standards. In line with this main aim, urban transformation projects to be implemented should create more livable areas by taking into account the cultural and physical characteristics of the city within the scope of the objectives. Each urban transformation process is a set of actions unique to itself and has different actors. Considering the partnership types of these actors, it is the public-public sector partnership that is most frequently applied in Turkey. At this point there are many examples of transformation made with the cooperation of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change with Housing Development Administration of Turkey. In this study, the process of theurban transformation project, which is one of these examples, in two neighborhoods in the Seyhan district of Adana province, in partnership with the Municipality of Seyhan and the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ). It is thought that the research will contribute to the investigations and improvements to be made on this subject, as it is one of the urban transformation experiences of Turkey.

The Sustainability of Gastronomic Heritage and Its Significance for Regional Tourism Development

Gastronomy, as a part of cultural heritage, has exceptional potential in tourism, and its key representatives and conservationists/guardians are hospitality facilities that provide food services. Vojvodina (the Republic of Serbia) is a region inhabited by more than 30 ethnic minorities that have nurtured their cultural heritage and have been incorporating it into gastronomy for many years. The subject of this paper is the gastronomy of ethnic groups in Vojvodina and its significance for tourism development from the point of view of hospitality workers as important actors in the sustainability of heritage. One of the motives behind this study is the twelfth UN sustainable development goal (SDGs) defined in 2015, which refers to providing sustainable forms of consumption and production and which emphasizes the development and application of tools for monitoring the impact that sustainable development has on tourism that promotes local culture and products (12b). The aim of this study was to obtain data on the preservation of heritage, that is, on authenticity within the region/area and ethnic groups, and then to perform a valorization of dishes and define steps on how to make gastronomic heritage a more visible tourist attraction, from the perspective of sustainability. Our survey included a sample of 508 respondents, all employees in the hospitality industry. The obtained results were statistically processed. The research showed that the Južnabačka district has the greatest importance in tourism from the aspect of the implementation, preservation, and sustainability of gastronomic heritage in tourism. Among the ethnic groups, the Vojvodina Hungarians place the greatest importance on the preservation of gastronomy, which includes dishes such as goulash and uses ingredients such as river fish. The research led to the conclusion that those in the hospitality industry are of the opinion that gastronomic heritage should be promoted through activities such as tourist exposure, marketing activities, and promoting the diversity of authentic food offers in catering facilities.

Introducing a Conceptual Model for Assessing the Present State of Preservation in Heritage Buildings: Utilizing Building Adaptation as an Approach

Building adaptation comprises a variety of construction actions that enhance current condition and extend the life span of buildings. Architectural adaptation involves refurbishing, retrofitting, restoration, renovation, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, material reuse, conservation, and preservation, as well as other activities to improve building conditions. In this study, the most relevant definitions, implementations, and ranges of the specified terminologies are examined; on the basis of this classification, a conceptual model is constructed to facilitate accurate categorization of building adaptations and its application in various case studies. The current state of heritage buildings in Erbil (the Erbil Citadel as a World Heritage Site and the buffer zone as cultural heritage) is evaluated. We aimed to investigate their current conservation status and determine whether the Erbil Citadel’s heritage building adaptation has addressed the issue of energy retrofitting to realize green and passive construction. The results indicate that the framework model is an effective assessment tool in the field of conserving heritage buildings. The majority of Erbil’s heritage buildings have been restored and rehabilitated for public interaction; nevertheless, additional interventions are required to improve the buildings’ energy efficiency and conservation for this to be recognized as sustainable heritage development. In the future, academics and practitioners may use the suggested framework to clearly and consistently describe the scope of the work in their building adaptation, thereby eliminating the high costs of correcting code and specification requirements that were not met.

When the digital twin meets the preventive conservation of movable wooden artifacts

To achieve sustainable heritage conservation, preventive conservation has gradually taken precedence over curative conservation, because it can inhibit the damage caused by various environmental factors and maximizes the preservation life of the artifacts. Due to susceptibility to environmental factors, preventive conservation has been used in the conservation of movable wooden artifacts to further protect them. Recently, digital twin technology, as a concept that transcends reality, can be mapped in virtual space to reflect the full lifecycle process of the corresponding entity, which is a superior characteristic that makes it valued and researched for health monitoring and health management of heritages. This paper proposes a health management method mainly for preventive conservation of movable wooden artifacts, integrating digital twin technology into the health management process. Using the Quanzhou Ship as a typical representative, several important components of health management are specifically analyzed, such as the five-dimensional model of the digital twin, the data interaction process of the digital twin, and the identification and assessment of risks. In particular, the process of preventive conservation of the stern based on the digital twin is presented in detail. This method provides a basis for future preventive conservation of movable wooden artifacts and has implications for the use of digital twin technology in the field of heritage conservation, especially for movable wooden artifacts.

Circular Economy of Cultural Heritage—Possibility to Create a New Tourism Product through Adaptive Reuse

Cultural heritage is a particularly significant resource in creating tourism. When a local community recognizes its cultural heritage (small historic towns, buildings, castles, and forts), it is possible to create new value to meet the needs of tourists, using the principles of a circular economy. Adapting, reusing and restoring heritage sites can contribute to the revitalization of the local economy by creating jobs (increased employment), increased spending, economic development, etc. Adaptive reuse, as one of the principles of a circular economy, represents how the circular economy can pave the way to create new tourism products. The three basic principles of sustainable waste management are reduce, reuse, and recycle (3R). This paper tackles the reuse principle by analyzing case studies involving the application of a circular economy to cultural heritage in the Kvarner tourism destination (Croatia) in the context of reusing resources to create a sustainable destination. The goal is to determine to what extent the reuse of heritage sites makes them useful for the local community, and for tourists to stay in the destination. The research showed positive examples in the Kvarner tourism destination, primarily of a cultural tourism nature and that were achieved in the last ten years; however, the conclusion is that this is still insufficient. By aggregating knowledge and research results, the paper emphasizes the importance of applying the concept of the circular economy to cultural heritage in tourism destinations, with special emphasis on the role of all stakeholders in creating sustainable heritage tourism (local self-government, destination management, local population, and entrepreneurship).

An experimental study for sustaining the architectural heritage value of traditional houses of Bursa

Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, is one of the rare historical cities that has survived to the present day without losing its importance. As well as monumental structures such as mosques and Sultan complexes, traditional Bursa houses are also components of architectural heritage that reflect the identity of the city. The traditional building materials of these houses are wood, stone, brick and earth. Today, these materials are known as ecological building materials and their use is very important to ensure sustainability. Especially the application of traditional building techniques based on the use of these materials in restoration works is of great importance in terms of ensuring sustainability not only from an ecological point of view, but also from economic and cultural points of view. In this context, earthen building material consisting of natural raw materials and created by human hands are seen as ecological and renewable building materials. In different parts of the world, many civilizations have used earthen building materials with different usage techniques in the past. This material has not lost its importance to this day. In this study, the earthen building materials used in traditional Bursa houses are examined and their role in sustainable architecture is pointed out. For this purpose, a case study was conducted on traditional Bursa houses in three different historic neighborhoods; Hisar, Tuzpazari and Reyhan regions. Representative earthen building materials were taken from 22 traditional houses and listed with their qualities for experimental studies. Characterization tests were carried out on the samples taken from these houses. The results of the experiments have been used to develop some recommendations for the successful implementation of restorations that will help to carry out sustainable heritage conservation work in Bursa.

Sustainability of Urban Cultural Heritage in Terms of Archaeological Landscape-Tourism Interaction: The Case of Iznik City

Araştırma alanı olarak seçilen İznik, Marmara Bölgesi'nde İznik Gölü kıyısında Bursa iline bağlı bir ilçedir. Tarihin ilkçağlarından bugüne, farklı dönemlerdeki uygarlıkların kültürlerini yansıtan çok sayıda arkeolojik değerleri ve anıtsal yapıları barındıran kent, kültür ve inanç turizmi açısından zengin bir tarihî dokuya sahiptir. İznik kenti, tarihi sürecindeki dönemlere ait bilgileri içeren yapılar ve kalıntıları aracılığı ile kentsel ve sosyal gelişimini ve değişimini kavramaya yönelik veriler sunan önemli arkeolojik bir yerleşim alanı özelliği taşımaktadır. 2014 yılından itibaren UNESCO Dünya Mirası Geçici Listesi'nde yer alan İznik, Prehistorik dönemlerden itibaren farklı medeniyet ve kültürel yaşam biçimlerine ev sahipliği yapmıştır. Kent doğal ve tarihi değerleri, özgün arkeolojik peyzaj özellikleri, farklı kültür katmanları ile sahip olduğu turizm kaynak değerleri yönüyle korunması gereken bir kültürel miras alanı niteliğindedir. Bu makalede, çok katmanlı yerleşim karakteri gösteren İznik kentinin tarihsel süreçte kent kimliğinin gelişiminde etkili olan arkeolojik peyzaj özellikleri ile anıtsal yapıları incelenerek, turizm ve kültürel mirasın sürdürülebilirliği kapsamındaki sahip olduğu olanaklar ve sorunları ortaya koyulmuştur. Sonuçta, İznik kentinde kültürel miras değerlerinin korunması, yaşatılması ve gelecek kuşaklara aktarılması amacıyla bütünleşik koruma ve planlama yaklaşımı temelinde değerlendirmeler yapılmıştır.

The Hutong neighbourhood grammar: A procedural modelling approach to unravel the rationale of historical Beijing urban structure

Hutong neighbourhoods, composed of Chinese courtyard dwellings (Siheyuan), are historically and socially significant urban spaces that embody the traditional Chinese way of life and philosophy. As part of the national heritage, there is an increasing research interest in Hutong neighbourhoods, many of which are facing oblivion. This study presents a formal grammar for Hutong neighbourhood generation. This research investigates traditional principles of urban planning of ancient Beijing, based on examples on the historical map Qianlong Jingcheng Quantu, to derive the lost design rules. These rules are used to build up a procedural modelling framework, which reveals the development of Beijing's urban structure from the Yuan (1271–1368) to the Qing (1644–1911) dynasty. Our findings present a grammar incorporated into the procedural modelling framework to parametrically generate Hutong neighbourhoods, which replicates the morphological characteristics of historic cases. It contributes to the understanding of the generation of Hutong neighbourhoods. In support of heritage sustainability, this grammar can be implemented in a computational environment by visual scripting that enables the generation of new instances of Hutong neighbourhoods, both real and virtual.

Nuove tecnologie e sostenibilità: dal rilievo alla comunicazione per il Museo di Casa Romei di Ferrara, città Patrimonio UNESCO

The paper, taking the Museum of Casa Romei in Ferrara - an UNESCO heritage city - as a case study, explores some new technologies, ranging from surveying to digital communication and investigates their potentialities in improving the sustainability of cultural heritage. The work pursues the dual value of analyzing new tools and providing research products useful for the enhancement of the specific site, favoring the dissemination of consolidated tourist flows from the major monuments of Ferrara to the more peripheral historical urban fabric. Through the theme of analysis, documentation and archiving of architecture and its context, the research - addressing specific themes of integrated and multi-scale survey, 3D processing, 2D drawing, interactive data storage - examines the use of digital technologies for multi-level dissemination of the cultural assets and their possibilities as tools for accessibility and inclusivity.

Development of “air-ground data fusion” based LiDAR method: Towards sustainable preservation and utilization of multiple-scaled historical blocks and buildings

As important components of urban sustainable development, historical buildings and blocks have critical cultural, economical, and scientific values. Sustainable preservation and utilization of historical buildings/blocks need reliable spatial geometry information, which is commonly generated by three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction. Traditional 3D reconstruction technologies, such as image-based air oblique photography reconstruction technology (OP) and laser-based ground scanning technology (LT), have disadvantages in information integrity and reconstruction accuracy. To overcome these limitations, the current study developed an advanced AGF-LiDAR (“air-ground data fusion” based 3D laser radar method) reconstruction technology. Series of algorithms and hardwares were constructed to realize real-time cooperation between “air-ground” equipment, and real-time fusion of “air-ground” data. The AGF-LiDAR reconstruction technology was verified by practical surveying and mapping of historical buildings, and the real scene scoring system was used in quantitative evaluation. Results show that AGF-LiDAR reconstruction technology can obviously improve reconstruction quality in terms of information integrity and accuracy. The score of AGF-LiDAR reconstruction technology (90 points) was higher than that of traditional manual “air-ground” fusion method (61 points). The AGF-LiDAR reconstruction technology can be applied in various fields, including green urban design, intelligent operation. Overall, the newly developed AGF-LiDAR reconstruction technology is very promising in sustainable heritage preservation.

Strategic planning of sustainable maintenance in heritage school buildings: Malaysia perspectives

PurposeRetrofitting and rehabilitation are part of the conservation approach in Heritage Building Conservation Guideline 2016 in Malaysia. Heritage buildings can be retrofitted to preserve their culture and history while being given a new lease. Rehabilitation is a preservation requirement that is more flexible since it assumes that the structure has already deteriorated to the point where repairs are required to prevent further deterioration. Although the strategies of these two approaches are different, their combination resulted in sustainable heritage building maintenance. This long-term maintenance strategy is necessary, especially for Malaysia's numerous heritage schools, which have serious maintenance problems as a result of infrequent maintenance, repairs, and funding shortages.Design/methodology/approachThis study involved secondary data from an intensive literature review along with a comparative study from articles review and context analysis. A comparative study was conducted to determine the typical issue with heritage school buildings and the best maintenance practice for these structures. Finally, it involved a SWOT analysis study of retrofitting and rehabilitating heritage school buildings will be discussed in this study as well.FindingsThe findings of this study will focus on developing a strategic planning framework and maintenance for heritage school buildings in Malaysia to achieve sustainable maintenance. It will also highlight sustainable maintenance best practices for heritage school buildings in Malaysia. Finally, SWOT analysis will go over the pros and cons of retrofitting and rehabilitation for these buildings.Originality/valueThis paper put forward the requirements of strategic planning in heritage school buildings and outlines the significance of sustainable maintenance for educational buildings. It is an alternative for cost savings that has not been extensively investigated in previous studies.

Heritage management and sustainability of heritage sites. The case of ancient Greek theatre of Dodoni, Epirus, Greece

Heritage is composed of tangible and intangible assets, as well as cultural and natural sites threatened by the effects of climate change. The sustainability of heritage is significant for its transmission to the next generations, future progress, cultural development and diversity. Thus, this paper is focused on the protection and management of heritage, presenting as case study the ancient Greek Theatre of Dodoni, located in Epirus. Stakeholders are related to scientists for climate change, heritage managers, society (including educational organizations), local community as well as the visitors. The interaction of these groups offers a management plan focused on the needs of the place. Moreover, the research of the local identity of the landscape should be combined with climatic data showing the course of the climate change and its effects on the site of study. This information of climate indices is retrieved by meteorological stations in North-Western Greece. In particular, we analyze climatological data of temperature, humidity and precipitation, collected by the meteorological station of Ioannina (Hellenic National Meteorological Service) for the period 1956-2022. Therefore, the assessment of measurements and extremities can be combined with the vulnerability approach and the risk assessment for the structure of heritage management and the dissemination.

Equity crowdfunding for cultural heritage: some insights from a French case study

Since the allocation of funds for cultural heritage has been gradually decreasing, both academics and practitioners are increasingly calling for a differentiation of its sources of funding, including innovative models such as crowdfunding (Borin et al., 2018; Greffe and Simonnet, 2010). However, the cultural heritage sector is still reluctant to use crowdfunding, and most crowdfunding campaigns are collecting relatively small amounts of money (De Voldere and Zeqo, 2017; Massolution, 2015). A significant exception is equity crowdfunding, which has been able not only to raise considerable amounts of money but also lead to a more participatory and sustainable model of cultural heritage management. This paper analyses this crowdfunding model as applied to the cultural heritage field, investigating success factors in a significant case study of equity crowdfunding in France and reflecting on how this innovative form of financing could contribute to the financial sustainability of cultural heritage.

Roles, Responsibilities and Challenges of Guthi Sansthan (Corporation) for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage in Nepal

Having diverse cost and ethnicity, language and culture, Nepal is rich in cultural heritage. The paper's main aim is to illustrate the roles and responsibilities of the Guthi Sansthan for the conservation of cultural heritage in Nepal and the challenge it faces. Guthi is an example of a cooperative system. Guthi Sansthan, a government body is more responsible for preserving and managing Nepal's tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The finding reveals Guthi Sansthan has a leading role in heritage conservation. However, the Guthi still survives and continues as a significant informal heritage conservation system underlining these indigenous systems’ resilience. Many significant heritage places and monuments are now in crisis due to the government policies and encroachment of different organizations and institutions. Therefore, it is essential to recognise the significant value and contribution of Guthi Sansthan for the sustainable heritage conservation and management of cultural heritage by different agencies, including government, policymakers, and practitioners.

Editorial Issue 2/2022: The Heritage of Water-Related Infrastructures and Governance

Editorial Issue 2/2022: The Heritage of Water-Related Infrastructures and Governance

Advances in costs optimization methods – key study of maintenance and restoration of cultural heritage

The article deals with the issue of restoration and care of cultural heritage buildings in the Czech Republic. The content is focused mainly on the topic of valuation of construction works. Obtaining quality documents is very important for planning reconstruction and maintenance works on a building of cultural heritage. Proper and timely maintenance work is the key to maintaining the value of the building and increasing its viability. The tool for assessing the economic sustainability of an immovable cultural heritage is a life cycle cost analysis carried out on the basis of relevant input data on the technical parameters of the building, structural elements and equipment, the time period of the occurrence of costs related to them. The analysis becomes an important basis for decision-making by the owner, the designer and the future user on choosing the optimal variant of the technical solution for restoration, also with regard to ecological aspects, cultural and historical value and long-term economic consequences.

Using creative response to sonically translate vernacular photography: The Lest We Forget project in the United Arab Emirates

This paper explores the benefits and possibilities of using recorded sound as a tool for expressing the stories behind photographs for archival purposes through an ethnographic study of Lest We Forget (LWF), a grassroots initiative that documents and explores cultural memory pertaining to the United Arab Emirates. The goals of this paper are to further the dialogue about the value of transdisciplinary research toward the end of greater preservation and sustainability of cultural heritage; and to make an argument about the value of community members creatively responding to photographs, and archival materials from their own culture, using sound. What I have found is that creative response is a theory of knowledge that allows a community to retain ownership of their heritage and their imagination of the past, present, and future, and an emerging methodological process that, when used, ensures a living archive.

SUSTAINABLE HERITAGE CONSERVATION IN THE GULF REGIONS

The recent urban development and growth have rapidly transformed many Gulf countries as a consequence of the oil exportation business. The direction of expansion has raised many questions about the incoming new challenges for the post-oil era of many capitals in the Middle East Area. Among the consequences of rapid urbanization, there is a growing need for local identity. The growing globalized cities need also to preserve the historical heritage and re-qualify the traditional urban fabric for rediscovering local culture and national traditions. The paper presents cases of heritage preservation and rehabilitation in the Gulf regions and in particular in Saudi Arabia. The projects are assessed by adopting sustainable heritage principles (social, cultural, and environmental). The results highlight the need to preserve the social values of historical heritage, ancient materials, and adaptive reuse methodologies as an adaptation to the climate. The research aims to promote sustainable conservative approaches in the Gulf Regions.