Abstract
Sustainability as a theme, choice, and increasing requirement is a critical aspect of many cities, businesses, industries, and communities of practice today. It is a movement that is necessitating a change in how we operate as individuals, institutions, and ecosystems so as to have a less harmful impact on the world. Whether designing buildings, regenerating towns, preserving culture, celebrating architectural conservation, or growing sustainable tourism, the benefit of thinking sustainably relies on how we can best reevaluate current business as usual practices so as to enhance economic, societal, and environmental wellbeing for the long-term. This paper presents two case studies of relevance to built heritage, conservation, and tourism professionals—case studies that are good practice examples of how sustainable thinking can create value in two different locations in the world. The first case study from the United Kingdom and Ireland investigates Architectural Conservation through the lens of sustainable communities—how communities can celebrate and participate in the place-making attributes of unique built heritage assets in a way that strengthens the identity, stability, and growth of a region. The second case study from the United Arab Emirates explores cultural heritage through the lens of sustainable development—how the urban fabric of a place can sustainably connect past heritage to present culture and future generations. The paper closes with a summary on how culture, conservation, heritage, and tourism management professionals can be inspired by these ideas to (1) integrate sustainable thinking as part of business as usual in heritage management, and (2) assess wider opportunities provided by sustainable thinking in heritage for the benefit of future generations.
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Notes
- 1.
Note: local programs are also delivered in England, Scotland and Wales, with support from the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, Lottery Fund, Construction Industry Training Board NI, Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork and Heritage Trust Network. Other projects include bringing the Old Museum Building back to life, and participation in European Heritage Open Days.
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Best, K. (2022). Architectural Conservation and Cultural Heritage: Two Sustainably-Led Case Studies. In: Versaci, A., Cennamo, C., Akagawa, N. (eds) Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH). Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95564-9_17
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