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Land
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Cultural Heritage Preservation as a Basis for Sustainable Development and...
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Cultural Heritage Preservation as a Basis for Sustainable Development and Transformation of Historic Urban Landscapes

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Systems and Global Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 4562

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christer Gustafsson

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Guest Editor
Department of Art History, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
Interests: conservation; cultural heritage; economics of conservation; fields of creative power; sustainable development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Matthias Ripp

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Organisation of World Heritage Cities, Department for Cultural Heritage, City of Regensburg, 93047 Regensburg, Germany
Interests: heritage-based integrated urban development; heritage governance; heritage management and heritage communication; project development and strategic coordination of policies in an international environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Manal Ginzarly

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Interests: heritage values; historic urban landscape approach; community resilience; digitally-mediated heritage practices; grassroots mobilization
Dr. Zachary Mark Jones

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DASTU), Polytechnic University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; urban transformation; transnational urbanism; heritage planning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

(1) Cultural heritage and cultural landscapes are a popular topic of research. Often preservation and development is presented as two poles that need to be balanced. With this Special Issue we want to follow a contemporary approach that uses heritage (preservation) as the starting point and resource for sustainable development policies, strategies, projects, and results. Starting with a systemic understanding of heritage that includes objects, landscapes, subjects, processes, values, etc. and views heritage as a system and process, this Special Issue shall explore how heritage can contribute, stimulate, facilitate, and accompany urban development and also transformation projects and processes. 

(2) Aim of the Special Issue and how the subject relates to the journal scope.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) to give insights about heritage preservation and transformation  as a basis for the sustainable development and transformation of historic urban landscapes. Development and transformation processes that are related to contemporary challenges and risks of historic urban landscapes as well as strategies, policies, and projects related to urban resilience and risk mitigation are in the scope of this Special Issue.  

(3) Suggested themes and article types for submissions.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Climate adaptation of and in historic urban landscapes;
  • Case studies of sustainable development and transformation that are based on or related to urban heritage;
  • Conceptual and theoretical papers that are related to heritage-based urban development, transformation, and resilience;
  • Challenges and problems related to those fields;
  • Literature reviews exploring the topic;
  • Challenges, threats, and transformation at (world) heritage sites;
  • Examples and case studies to understand the effects and impacts;
  • Contextualize change and transformation from a theoretical perspective;
  • Issues related to governance approaches and tools;
  • Heritage as a resource for resilience.

Prof. Dr. Christer Gustafsson
Dr. Matthias Ripp
Dr. Manal Ginzarly
Dr. Zachary Mark Jones
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. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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
  • sustainable development
  • historic urban landscape
  • urban transformation
  • resilience
  • cultural landscapes

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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37 pages, 31655 KiB  
Article
The Interpretation of Historical Layer Evolution Laws in Historic Districts from the Perspective of the Historic Urban Landscape: A Case Study in Shenyang, China
by Yuan Wang, Chengxie Jin, Tiebo Wang and Danyang Xu
Land 2025, 14(5), 1029; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14051029 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 249
Abstract
In the context of global urbanization and the concomitant tension between heritage conservation and urban development, there is an urgent need to explore effective strategies for addressing the challenges posed by fragmented conservation, static cognition, and homogeneous renewal in conservation practice. Utilizing the [...] Read more.
In the context of global urbanization and the concomitant tension between heritage conservation and urban development, there is an urgent need to explore effective strategies for addressing the challenges posed by fragmented conservation, static cognition, and homogeneous renewal in conservation practice. Utilizing the theoretical framework of urban historic landscape, this study integrates urban morphology, architectural typology, urban imagery, and catalyst theory to formulate a progressive study on the evolution of historic districts through the layers of “historic areas, spatial forms, material carriers, value characteristics”. The research path is a progressive one that analyses the regularity of historic districts. The present study focuses on Shenyang as the object of empirical research, employing a multifaceted research method that integrates multiple scenarios and sub-cases within a single case. This method utilizes a combination of the literature and field research to obtain diversified data. The study then undertakes a systematic analysis of the accumulation of Shenyang’s historic districts through the application of kernel density analysis and geometric graphical methods. The study found that the dimension of the historical area of the Shenyang historic district presents the layering law of “single-core dominant–dual-core juxtaposition–fusion collage–extension–multi-point radiation”, and that the spatial form is summarized as seven types of the layering law, such as radiation type, ring type, triangular type, and grid type. The spatial form is summarized into seven types of laminar laws, such as radial, ring, triangular, grid, etc. The material carriers exhibit the conventional law of anchoring point-like elements, employing line-like elements as the skeletal structure and surface-like elements as the matrix. The value laminations are diversified, centralized, and self-adaptive. The study proposes the concept of “layer accumulation law” to elucidate the carrier transformation mechanism of cultural genes, and it provides a methodological tool for addressing the dilemma of “layer accumulation fracture”. The findings of this study not only deepen the localized application of HUL theory but also provide an innovative path for the practice of heritage conservation in urban renewal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Preservation as a Basis for Sustainable Development and Transformation of Historic Urban Landscapes)
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33 pages, 45544 KiB  
Article
A Study of Historic Urban Landscape Change Management Based on Layered Interpretation: A Case Study of Dongxi Ancient Town
by Xiaotian Ma and Junqiao Sun
Land 2024, 13(12), 2116; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122116 - 6 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1643
Abstract
In the face of external shocks from urbanization and the inherent needs of economic development, it is essential for urban and rural heritage to adapt timely to achieve sustainability in development. Employing Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) methodologies for change management holds significant implications [...] Read more.
In the face of external shocks from urbanization and the inherent needs of economic development, it is essential for urban and rural heritage to adapt timely to achieve sustainability in development. Employing Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) methodologies for change management holds significant implications for the sustainable preservation and utilization of heritage. This study used Dongxi Ancient Town as a case study, characterized by a distinct evolutionary trajectory and diverse layers of accumulation throughout its historical progression, making it an exemplary instance for change analysis. This paper analyzed the processes and outcomes of historic urban landscape changes through a layered historical approach. Combining historical data translation methods with ArcGIS spatial analysis, we documented and mapped the cultural and natural characteristics of Dongxi Ancient Town. The layered process of the town’s historical landscape was categorized into four stages: the primary formative period from the Western Han to the Ming dynasties, the rapid development during the Qing dynasty, the prosperous period of the Republic of China, and the transitional expansion period following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The study analyzed the morphological changes and values of the historical landscape throughout these periods. Based on the analysis results, we suggest three transformation management strategies for historical landscapes oriented towards economic development: (1) converting cultural heritage into cultural assets, (2) implementing moderate and controlled quantitative changes, and (3) enhancing operational feasibility through collaborative efforts among multiple stakeholders. These strategies aim to establish a sustainable model that balances heritage conservation with economic growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Preservation as a Basis for Sustainable Development and Transformation of Historic Urban Landscapes)
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Review

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20 pages, 7167 KiB  
Review
Urban Open Space Systems and Green Cities: History, Heritage, and All That
by Ken Taylor
Land 2025, 14(3), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030582 - 10 Mar 2025
Viewed by 810
Abstract
More than half the world’s population live in cities1. According to UN Habitat, we are rapidly approaching the time when five billion people will live in cities, and by 2050 this could be 7.5 billion, with much of the growth concentrated [...] Read more.
More than half the world’s population live in cities1. According to UN Habitat, we are rapidly approaching the time when five billion people will live in cities, and by 2050 this could be 7.5 billion, with much of the growth concentrated in the global south. The context for this paper is how urban growth is linked to notions of community values which cross-link to concepts of heritage. Urban places are where the majority of the world’s population lives and will increasingly do so. Inextricably linked to this proposition is that urban places are where community memories, identity and sense of place are inherent, and here is the link with heritage. What do these paces mean to us? Are there regional, national and international differences? Parallel with these ideas of urban heritage is the sense of place and attachment people have for green spaces in cities and the incremental loss of green spaces. This prompts the question of how this phenomenon has stimulated scholarly and professional attention on the concept of greening cities. Underpinning the inquiry is an understanding of how urban green growth has become regarded as critical to the well-being of people in urban areas. Central to such concerns is the role of people and their social and cultural values which shape how they see their cities. Notable also is how there has been growing concern for urban conservation since the 1990s and the need to understand cities as people spaces, not just collections of buildings. Discourse on cities as spaces for people has its roots in, and builds on, a paradigm shift in innovative thinking and concepts in the twentieth century which has continued into the twenty-first century. Mindful of this background, the paper opens with a review of the historical background to these concerns on the premise that the past is not always a foreign country2. It then moves into consideration of heritage values and the role of landscape and what we mean by values. This consideration is central to the paper and moves into an overview of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach as new approaches and tools for urban conservation came into play. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Heritage Preservation as a Basis for Sustainable Development and Transformation of Historic Urban Landscapes)
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