Urban Heritage Rethought

This paper opens with the provocation that current urban heritage practices are “broken,” failing to align with evolving community values and hindering positive urban outcomes. Drawing on expertise from architecture, planning, and cultural heritage, and adopting case studies, it offers a re-evaluation of the status quo, aiming to recalibrate heritage and architectural conservation. 

The core issue lies in an under-definition of urban and architectural heritage within existing frameworks, leading to a siloed approach that excludes critical factors like sustainability, community needs, economic imperatives, housing shortages, and the climate crisis. This narrow focus often prioritises fabric conservation over cultural significance, resulting in poorly utilised heritage places and a perception of heritage as a barrier to reasonable change. Default design responses, such as rigid setbacks and hidden sustainable features, further diminish the potential contribution of heritage to vibrant cities and places.

Instead of dwelling on these problems, this paper highlights opportunities for a new mode of contemporary heritage practice. We propose a framework built on the key pillars of collective, spirit, fulcrum and layered. By re-thinking heritage through these lenses, we can unlock its transformative potential to create inspiring, distinctive places that celebrate cultural diversity, address critical urban challenges, centralise sustainability, and promote well-being for all.