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The Faro Convention, Heritage Communities and Sustainable Development: Towards Collaborative Approaches for Cultural Heritage Management and Enhancement

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 14254

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Enrico Eraldo Bertacchini

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Guest Editor

Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Torino, Via Giuseppe Verdi, 8, 10124 Torino TO, Italy
Interests: economics of arts and culture; public economics; law & economics; new institutional economics

Dr. Eleonora Giovene di Girasole

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Guest Editor

Institute of Research on Innovation and Services for Development (IRISS), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Naples, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; commons, collaborative decision making processes; action-research; urban regeneration

Prof. Dr. Fortuna Procentese

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Guest Editor

Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, 80133 Naples, Italy
Interests: sense of responsible togetherness; civic engagement; social inclusion; migrants; climate changes; online-offline communities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

Recent European policies consider cultural heritage as a “common good” and a key element for sustainable development. In this context, the “Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society” (Faro Convention), signed in 2005, recognizes Cultural Heritage in both its material and immaterial dimensions, as linked to the identity of places and communities, constituting a shared source of legacy, understanding, identity, cohesion and creativity.

Cultural heritage provides communities with tangible and intangible experiences that favor the perception of common past and traditions, strengthening ties between individuals and places and favoring the social cohesion of communities. The multiple meanings and values that cultural heritage conveys highlight the interaction between local, cultural, historical and psychosocial dimensions by enhancing territorial resources. The recognition and enjoyment of environmental and cultural heritage improve residents’ and visitors’ quality of life and well-being. This process provides opportunities for discussion and debate on issues that affect the entire community, as well as to expand social capital, affecting community ties.

This broad conceptualization of heritage, which also refers to the role and function of civic participation, opens the perspectives to many possible intercultural and inter-institutional collaborations and to innovative ways of promoting the development of cultural sites, communities and heritage. The coexistence of different values and social actors shows the need to overcome the collective action dilemmas that characterize the conservation, use, maintenance and management of the common goods.

Starting from these principles the Special Issue, in a transdisciplinary perspective, aims at investigating the innovative models of governance and management based on collaboration, cooperation and active involvement of communities, oriented to the implementation of strategies for promoting innovative forms of social cohesion and spatial regeneration in urban and rural contexts.

Scholars are invited to submit papers that will show new approaches referring (though not exclusively) to the following topics:

Places, participation, values and connections
Individual and collective fights in the participatory management of heritage
Cultural commons, valorization and urban regeneration
Collaborative governance, management and business development
Identity of places, attachment, belonging and sense of community
Coexistence, ties, and memory

Prof. Dr. Enrico Eraldo Bertacchini
Dr. Eleonora Giovene di Girasole
Prof. Dr. Fortuna Procentese
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

cultural heritage
commons
heritage communities
sustainable development
multilevel governance
community psychologist
multicriteria assessment
urban regeneration

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 6999 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Valorizing Community Identity and Social Places to Implement Participatory Processes in San Giovanni a Teduccio (Naples, Italy)

by Fortuna Procentese and Flora Gatti

Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14216; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914216 - 26 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 841

Abstract

This paper addresses the implementation of an intervention aimed at promoting participatory processes in San Giovanni a Teduccio—a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Naples—to foster the acknowledgment and valorization of local social, cultural, and identity resources by citizens. Former industrial and marine area, today disused and run-down industrial establishments in the neighborhood and obscure and pollute the sea, weakening local identity and cultural heritages. Interviews were carried out to address citizens’ and stakeholders’ social identity, their civic and social engagement in the community, and the potential and critical issues they identified in it. A split community emerged from their words, with a minority civically and socially engaged in the regeneration of community places and relationships—even though through a fragmented multiplicity of projects—and a “dormant” majority, passive and anesthetized by the nostalgia of the industrial and marine past. Participants were also asked to share pictures about meaningful community places; these showed abandoned and run-down urban spaces, but also places where citizens could meet, share, and identify. An exhibition was organized to share these materials with the broader community, opening up a space for thinking about the need to involve citizens in acknowledging and valorizing local cultural, social, and identity resources through participatory processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Faro Convention, Heritage Communities and Sustainable Development: Towards Collaborative Approaches for Cultural Heritage Management and Enhancement)

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13 pages, 3416 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Socially Oriented Approaches in Cities—Hasanpasa Gasworks and Gasworks Environmental Volunteers

by Şen Yüksel and Hatice Savaş Demir

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12924; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712924 - 27 Aug 2023

Viewed by 939

Abstract

Istanbul Kadikoy–Hasanpasa Gasworks lost its function and closed in 1993, but in 2021, it was reopened for use as a culture and art center. In the transformation decisions of the gasworks, the Gasworks Environmental Volunteers, consisting of the people of the environment, have played an active role for 27 years and continue to play a role after the transformation. This study examines the impact and efforts of Gasworks Environmental Volunteers before and after the transformation and describes a collective struggle in the participatory management of heritage. The aim is to reveal the importance of public participation and non-governmental organizations in the transformation of cultural heritage structures and afterward. The study was conducted with qualitative research methods such as face-to-face interviews, observations, and literature research. As a result of the study, it has been shown that the transformation of heritage buildings, when done with the participation of the public and a human-centered conservation approach, brings positive results to the city and is sustainable when the people of the environment take part in the administration after the transformation. Society’s awareness about the heritage areas is expected to increase, and it will be a factor in the transformation decisions by protecting the heritage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Faro Convention, Heritage Communities and Sustainable Development: Towards Collaborative Approaches for Cultural Heritage Management and Enhancement)

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17 pages, 7354 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nurturing Cultural Heritages and Place Attachment through Street Art—A Longitudinal Psycho-Social Analysis of a Neighborhood Renewal Process

by Marco Boffi, Nicola Rainisio and Paolo Inghilleri

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10437; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310437 - 2 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2508

Abstract

The Faro Convention emphasizes the link between cultural heritage and place-related identity, highlighting their role in fostering environmental and community belonging. Urban renewal projects centered around contemporary and street art have gained popularity worldwide but often exhibit unclear impacts on local populations. Few studies have explored this topic using a psychological and longitudinal approach. Addressing this research gap, our study analyzed changes in place attachment and neighborhood image five years after implementing a street-art-based renewal project in a Milan suburb. Moreover, the project’s impact on the neighborhood’s historical “personality” as perceived by residents and citizens (n = 296) was examined. A survey was designed and administered to compare trends in these variables between 2017 (project start) and 2022, applying content analysis and analysis of variance techniques. Results showed that street art inspired by local history and culture had a positive effect on residents’ place attachment and local image, without disrupting community traditions. However, no significant impacts were found among non-residents. These findings highlight the significance of urban renewal policies that prioritize a district’s social and cultural history. Such policies not only safeguard the citizens’ well-being and foster place attachment, but could also revitalize the local imagery, promoting innovation and creativity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Faro Convention, Heritage Communities and Sustainable Development: Towards Collaborative Approaches for Cultural Heritage Management and Enhancement)

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22 pages, 729 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Institutional Collective Actions for Culture and Heritage-Led Urban Regeneration: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

by Alessandro Piperno, Christian Iaione and Luna Kappler

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8521; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118521 - 24 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1438

Abstract

Institutional collective actions (ICAs) provide a fascinating framework for comprehending collaborative urban initiatives. We defined ICAs as groups of people and organizations working together to promote a shared goal they could not pursue on their own. This study provides an empirical justification of why particular characteristics support the success of ICAs and why others fail. We restrict our analysis to culture-and-heritage-led urban regeneration initiatives and analyze the combinations of conditions under which these initiatives achieve their objectives. Adopting an integrated strategy, we studied prerequisites and critical elements that affect the success of collaborative actions, such as entrepreneurship, the enabling role of institutional capacity, multi-stakeholder involvement, and co-governance. Therefore, we compared sixteen culture-and-heritage-led urban regeneration initiatives in Europe as examples of ICAs in the urban context. We utilized fsQCA, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, as a method that enabled us to define the configurations (combinations of factors) that determine the performances of urban regeneration actions. The results demonstrate that a variety of elements are necessary for developing collaborative initiatives and that three different recipes can be developed. In addition, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on institutional collective actions in two ways: (1) by providing empirical evidence of why specific conditions need to be considered when developing collective actions and (2) by showing how specific conditions interact and explain the performance of ICAs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Faro Convention, Heritage Communities and Sustainable Development: Towards Collaborative Approaches for Cultural Heritage Management and Enhancement)

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12 pages, 259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The ‘Glocal’ Community of Matera 2019: Participative Processes and Re-Signification of Cultural Heritage

by Rosa Scardigno, Giuseppe Mininni, Paolo Giovanni Cicirelli and Francesca D’Errico

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12673; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912673 - 5 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1238

Abstract

The ‘local’ community of Matera has been studied in a pioneering work by Lidia De Rita, who focused on the unique configuration of its neighborly relations, defining “psycho-groups”, featured by their not codified laws and affected by topographical defects in the formation of normal groups. In the second half of the 20th century, Matera radically changed its status: from a “national shame”, it was declared a “World Heritage Site” by UNESCO; in addition, it was definitively crowned in the hearth of the European scenario, thanks to the European Capital of Culture program (ECoC). In this rapidly evolving background, this work aims to investigate the re-signification of this ‘glocal’ community by means of three crucial variables—culture, participation, and sense of community and identity—as experienced across the complex pathway leading to Matera 19 (M19). In order to analyze the psychosocial value of the Cultural Heritage of the Mega Event M19, as it was socially constructed and perceived, both “front stage” (opening and closing ceremonies) and “backstage” (through interviews with key actors) positioning were analyzed by means of critical discourse analysis. The emerging social-epistemic rhetoric revealed a kaleidoscope of meanings, where the opportunities offered by M19 dealt with a missed fulfillment of needs and with the fact that the unicity of Matera still has to deal with its unresolved fragilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Faro Convention, Heritage Communities and Sustainable Development: Towards Collaborative Approaches for Cultural Heritage Management and Enhancement)

16 pages, 1327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decoding Collective Action Dilemmas in Historical Precincts of Delhi

by Ekta Chauhan

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11741; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811741 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1788

Abstract

There is a growing understanding that cultural heritage needs to be understood as a “common good”, pivotal to the sustainable development of communities. Cultural goods create multiple value streams for stakeholder groups whose interests and objectives often collide, leading to governance failures. The management of cultural goods can be seen as a collective action problem arising from the interaction of numerous actors. In the first part, the article highlights the importance of analyzing cultural heritage sites and areas as common goods. Within this context, I highlight why collaborative processes of decision-making and planning are crucial for the sustainable conservation of heritage resources and tourism management. In the second section, the paper applies the Institutional Analysis and Development—Network of Adjacent Action Situations (IAD-NAAS) framework to explore collective action dilemmas at Nizamuddin Basti in New Delhi. Application of the framework allows one to explore interrelated governance dilemmas by understanding stakeholder dynamics within governance action situations with interdependent outcomes. The paper concludes with a suggestive framework for a cultural collaborative process keeping the cultural identity of residents as the focal point. While the IAD-NAAS framework is useful in diagnosing the contending interests and their consequences, the IAD framework could also be considered a starting point to define a framework for a collaborative process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Faro Convention, Heritage Communities and Sustainable Development: Towards Collaborative Approaches for Cultural Heritage Management and Enhancement)

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24 pages, 2167 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Residents’ Motivations to Participate in Decision-Making for Cultural Heritage Tourism: Case Study of New Delhi

by Ekta Chauhan

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8406; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148406 - 8 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3017

Abstract

While academic research has established the need and importance of community participation in decision-making for cultural heritage tourism (CHT), there is still a lacuna in our knowledge when it comes to understanding what are the perspectives and motivations of people to participate in collaborative governance; thus, policymaking suffers from a lack of knowledge on how to effectively motivate and engage communities in heritage tourism management. Participatory approaches often focus on the management of various stakeholders without emphasising enough the understanding of practical and ideological factors that affect their participation. This study seeks to fill this gap in knowledge by attempting to understand residents’ attitudes and motivation towards participating in collaborative decision-making for cultural heritage tourism in their area. The objective of the study is twofold: (1) to identify residents’ attitudes towards CHT in their area and (2) to understand residents’ motivation for participating in participatory governance of CHT. The attitudes and motivations of the residents are looked at from a Weberian lens of formal and substantive rationality and it is established that residents are affected by both economic and non-economic factors in their support for tourism activities in the areas as well as to participate in collaborative decision-making. The study adopts a qualitative approach to study two heritage precincts of New Delhi, India. While the findings are based on the case study areas, they can be used to understand communities of other developing nations as well. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Faro Convention, Heritage Communities and Sustainable Development: Towards Collaborative Approaches for Cultural Heritage Management and Enhancement)

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