Search Results (637)

Destinations increasingly shift from promotional branding toward holistic and inclusive identity strategies, where cultural heritage operates as both an anchor of local distinctiveness and a catalyst for creative place-making. This study presents a mixed-methods Triple Bottom Line (TBL) assessment of four Greek cultural heritage institutions, a regional theatre, a municipal gallery, a university-affiliated foundation, and a regional film festival, to examine how governance structures, resource availability, and organisational capacity shape environmental, social, and economic sustainability performance. Through document analysis and semi-structured interviews, the research identifies eleven recurring thematic variables across the TBL dimensions and systematically compares their implementation across distinct governance models. Findings show that social sustainability, particularly accessibility, education, and community engagement, constitutes a structurally universal baseline across all institutions, regardless of governance type or resource level. In contrast, environmental and economic performance diverge sharply according to governance model, building ownership, and access to capital. As cultural institutions function as experiential landmarks within cultural and creative tourism, their inclusive practices enhance community wellbeing while co-producing destination identity as socially responsible and culturally authentic. The study concludes with targeted policy recommendations on reporting standards, capacity building, and structural constraints, offering transferable insights for creative place-making and sustainable destination branding in Greece and other Mediterranean contexts. Full article

This paper presents a pilot educational workflow that couples 3D remote sensing with heritage-driven pedagogy by engaging architecture master’s students in the documentation and digital archiving of Transylvanian cultural sites. Using terrestrial and mobile 3D scanning, students documented multiple typologies—wooden churches (Târgușor, Tioltiur), historical ensembles (Mociu, Coplean), industrial sites (1 Mai–Luduș, Vânătorilor–Luduș), and an urban street segment (Potaissa)—to generate dense point clouds that served as the basis for geometric reconstruction, semantic interpretation, and condition assessment. The study describes how the characteristics of different construction systems (timber, brick, stone, mixed structures) relate to point-cloud quality, survey coverage, and subsequent CAD/BIM drafting, with attention to the qualitative reading of minor deformations in wooden churches and of degradation patterns in masonry and industrial buildings. We also consider how artefacts in the data (noise, occlusions, registration errors) affect scene understanding and the interpretation of derived observations relevant to condition assessment and, prospectively, to monitoring. For the Tioltiur dual-sensor case, the TLS and SLAM datasets were compared through an internal CloudCompare registration check (final RMS 0.1121 on 50,000 points, fixed scale 1.0 and theoretical overlap 100%), surface-density displays (r = 0.005 for the Z+F dataset and for the GeoSLAM dataset), fitted-wall-plane readings (dip values around 89 deg. and 85 deg.) and a longitudinal section documenting roof/vault deformation. Beyond technical performance, the paper examines the self-reported formative impact on students’ digital skills and their understanding of cultural values, arguing that participation in 3D data acquisition, processing, and interpretation positions them as co-creators of a living digital archive. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires (n = 13 each) are analysed descriptively—counts, percentages and medians with interquartile ranges—because the two instruments are unmatched and carry no shared identifier, so no paired test is applied; post-workshop self-ratings of technical competence, heritage understanding, archival awareness and collaboration were consistently high (medians 4–5), with uneven access to VR the main gap. By connecting point-cloud-based documentation workflows with heritage education, the project outlines a transferable, monitoring-ready baseline model in which 3D remote sensing supports both careful documentation and the transmission of regional identity and cultural meaning in architectural training. As an exploratory pilot with a small, self-reported sample, the study reports descriptive and qualitative findings rather than validated metric or statistical results. Full article

Tourism is a complex economic activity all over the world shaped by distinct local resources: culture, nature, industrial heritage, urban ambiance, place-based uniqueness, and geographical accessibility. The simultaneous governance and management of economic growth motives, preservation of the cultural heritage base, and respect for nature and ecological quality calls for an evidence-based and multi-faceted policy analysis that seeks to achieve sustainable development among conflicting policy objectives in tourist areas. The present paper seeks to explore the feasibility of a sustainable balance for various heterogeneous cultural heritage areas in Europe (‘urban pilot regions’), with particular attention to sustainable local development characterized by circular economic objectives and an ecological balance strategy based on the principle of stakeholders’ co-creation. The paper addresses the knowledge gap between generic policy aims and site-specific views of actors or visitors. To that end, an extensive survey experiment was administered in the urban regions concerned, in which a wide range of relevant management issues/questions related to environmental preferences and perceptions were posed to stakeholders and visitors. The data were analyzed by means of a novel respondent-oriented multivariate statistical tool, viz. Generalized Q-Analysis, which is suitable for handling big databases with many respondents. The paper shows that the application of Generalized Q-Analysis to common survey data enriches the results from the application of a conventional Q-Analysis. Furthermore, the study also highlights that, based on the views expressed by the surveyed visitors, the tourist areas concerned are quite different from each other in attracting specific classes of visitors. Therefore, functional specialization in the tourist sector seems to be an important anchor point for effective governance of urban tourism, not only in Europe, but also elsewhere in the world. Full article

Cultural heritage faces accelerating threats from armed conflict and climate-induced disasters, generating emergency scenarios in which the window for documentation may be measured in hours. Traditional high-fidelity workflows such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning and survey-grade Structure-from-Motion campaign can be operationally incompatible with these constraints due to costly hardware and specialist-team requirements. Emergency image acquisition can be undertaken with consumer-grade equipment, while the same photographic dataset can subsequently support both an SfM-MVS mesh for metric and geometric analysis and a 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) representation for view-dependent visual interpretation. This paper evaluates an accessible, entirely graphical workflow for producing these complementary outputs, with particular attention paid to the 3DGS stage and without requiring programming or command-line expertise. We develop a theoretical case drawing on Brandinian restoration theory and the international conservation framework, introducing the concept of informational amnesia, the irreversible loss of a site’s documentary record, as a distinct and undertheorized category of heritage failure. We further argue that the democratization of 3DGS documentation cannot be measured by licensing cost alone: a tool distributed as open-source code but requiring command-line expertise presents an effective accessibility barrier functionally equivalent to a commercial paywall. True accessibility requires installable, graphical software operable by non-specialist practitioners in the field. We present a proof-of-concept application of this accessible pipeline, namely DJI Mini 5 Pro, RealityScan for photogrammetric reconstruction, and Lichtfeld Studio for 3DGS generation, to the Fontana d’Ercole at the Reggia di Venaria Reale (UNESCO World Heritage, Turin, Italy). Visual results show photorealistic, navigable 3DGS surrogates of architecturally complex heritage assets achievable by non-specialist operators within hours of acquisition and establish the empirical foundation for future quantitative evaluation. Full article

Over several decades, digital cultural heritage has been increasingly reused across research, education, creative practice and through public community engagement. However, these activities remain undescribed or inconsistently documented and difficult to compare. Organisations typically rely on ‘proxy metrics’ such as downloads, page views or reverse searches to assess use/reuse. However, these metrics reveal little about how materials were transformed, interpreted, or how they generated value and impact. GLAMs often rely on unstructured anecdotes to capture/trace reuse, as it is difficult to retrospectively document reuse when GLAMs publish cultural heritage data openly without the expectation of users to tell the organisation what they did with the digital cultural heritage they accessed and used. Documenting reuse approaches often focuses on single dimensions or factors such as sector, content type, audience or impact. This has resulted in fragmented knowledge about digital cultural heritage reuse, which has created limitations in carrying out evaluations across examples, learning from good practice and planning digital cultural heritage initiatives. This article introduces and empirically grounds a flexible, multi-dimensional schema for documenting and planning digital cultural heritage reuse. Using an abductive methodology that combines literature analysis and synthesis, practitioner interviews, user-journey examinations and iterative prototyping, we developed a six-category framework capturing (1) organisation and context, (2) heritage assets and technologies, (3) purpose and process, (4) users and engagement modes, (5) nature of use and availability, and (6) impact and sustainability. Applied across real-world examples, this framework can reveal forms of value, dependency and risk, often absent from conventional reporting in the reuse of digital cultural heritage. We argue that reuse documentation functions as a form of socio-technical infrastructure, enabling a shared vocabulary and understanding for cross-case comparison, cumulative learning and strategic design of digital heritage initiatives. By shifting categorisation from retrospective description to include prospective planning, the framework supports a more meaningful impact assessment and sustainable reuse of digital cultural heritage as a societal resource. Full article

Larissa Castle of Argos in the Peloponnese represents one of the most significant fortified landscapes in Greece, reflecting architectural transformation and military adaptation from prehistory to the twentieth century. Amongst its parts, one of the best-preserved towers has recently regained much of its original form through partial restoration works, emerging as a dominant landmark within the castle and the wider Argolic landscape. This study investigates the complete restoration and adaptive reuse of the tower, focusing on the challenge of providing public access while respecting its historical and architectural integrity. Based on detailed architectural analysis, two alternative design approaches for vertical circulation and access to the battlement level are examined. The first proposal employs traditional materials and construction principles, whereas the second introduces a contemporary intervention through a lightweight metal spiral structure. The comparative assessment demonstrates how both solutions can facilitate visitor access, enhance the interpretation of the monument, and reveal the tower’s defensive operation and architectural evolution, while respecting the construction phases of the monument and the international principles of cultural heritage. The proposed reuse as an observation point capitalizes on the tower’s strategic position and exceptional panoramic views over the major archaeological landmarks of the Argolic plain. The original contribution of this study lies in the systematic comparison of two evidence-based intervention strategies—one historically referenced and one explicitly contemporary—within a common conservation framework applicable to similar defense monuments. Full article

In the context of China’s shift from incremental urban expansion to stock-based regeneration, the adaptive reuse of industrial heritage is no longer limited to physical transformation but increasingly involves spatial reintegration, cultural memory, and public value reconstruction. Taking Tianjin as a case study, this paper introduces Scene Theory into an urban-regeneration framework and combines kernel density analysis, field observation, case comparison, and online public-perception text mining. The study first examines the spatial distribution, accessibility conditions, and renewal typologies of industrial heritage sites in Tianjin. It then uses online comments from Xiaohongshu and Ctrip as supplementary perception data to analyze how different renewal models are experienced in relation to neighborhood environment, material facilities, activities, authenticity, theatricality, and legitimacy. The results show that creative industrial parks, museum-oriented renewal, and commercial renewal differ significantly in spatial location, activity organization, cultural expression, and public recognition. Common problems include uneven accessibility, superficial representation of industrial symbols, excessive consumption orientation, weak continuity of labor memory, limited community participation, and the potential exclusion of local users. Based on these findings, the paper proposes an integrated renewal strategy that emphasizes spatial network repair, authenticity-oriented design, everyday public use, community participation, and inclusive governance. The study provides an analytical framework and practical references for the regeneration of industrial heritage in Tianjin and other post-industrial cities. Full article

The integrated development of transportation, culture, and tourism is widely recognized as critical for regional sustainability, yet existing research predominantly uses two-dimensional frameworks and overlooks the unique constraints of highway-dominated pastoral borderlands. Taking Inner Mongolia (2023–2025) as a case study, this research develops a 24-indicator evaluation system and a multi-model analytical framework integrating entropy-weighted TOPSIS, coupling coordination, obstacle degree, and grey relational analysis. This study makes three contributions: (1) It constructs a highway-oriented three-dimensional evaluation framework suited for border regions spanning millions of square kilometres; (2) it distinguishes short-term static obstacles from long-term dynamic factors using an integrated multi-model chain; and (3) it proposes the theoretical concept of ‘Highway–Culture Spatial Matching’ for sparsely populated borderlands. The results reveal a significant spatial gradient, with high coordination in the Hohhot–Baotou–Ordos core and severe lagging in western pastoral areas. The spatial match between highway network accessibility and nomadic cultural heritage sites, rather than resource abundance alone, is the decisive factor determining system coupling. The obstacle degree model pinpoints highway mileage and road network density as primary short-term bottlenecks, while grey relational analysis confirms that the scale of the cultural tourism industry and intangible heritage activation are key long-term drivers. This work provides a quantifiable, evidence-based reference for formulating tiered, sustainable development policies in similar northern frontier ethnic regions, consistent with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Full article

Digital platforms for cultural heritage are increasingly expected to document the geometric and material properties of sites. Furthermore, such platforms are increasingly expected to preserve and communicate the intangible practices and community knowledge that give these places cultural significance. In this context, this paper presents a hybrid virtual reality platform for the documentation, communication, and dissemination of both tangible and intangible heritage in underground wine landscapes. The framework integrates 360° panoramic imagery, 360° videos, lightweight object visualisations, and georeferenced 3D point clouds within a unified interface adapted to different device capabilities. The system’s key contributions include seasonal navigation, participatory recording of community practices, multiscale representation of artefacts and architecture, and a guided narrative system that improves orientation for non-expert users. The platform has been validated through the underground wineries of Baltanás (Spain), thereby demonstrating a novel approach that brings together metric documentation and immersive storytelling. This enhances accessibility, facilitates heritage interpretation, and ensures the digital preservation of living cultural practices in complex heritage settings with broad public dissemination potential. Full article

Industrial heritage-based cultural and creative parks (IHCCPs) have become an important approach to adaptive reuse and sustainable urban regeneration in post-industrial cities. As the primary interface between the city and the park, entrance spaces play a critical role in shaping visitors’ first impressions, place identity, and cultural perception. Drawing on Cultural Perception Theory, this study investigates the entrance spaces of four representative IHCCPs in China using field surveys, questionnaire surveys, and a modified Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) framework, in which the conventional importance–performance dimensions are reconceptualized as perception and satisfaction. The results indicate that the case study parks perform well in barrier-free accessibility, entrance image, and material application. Based on the perception–satisfaction analysis, the entrance-space attributes were systematically classified according to their relative strengths and improvement priorities, providing the basis for identifying key optimization directions. Accordingly, a perceptual experience-oriented optimization framework is proposed, comprising four complementary strategies: functional coordination, environmental layering, landmark organization, and cultural translation. By integrating Cultural Perception Theory into an adapted IPA framework for entrance-space evaluation, this study extends existing research and provides a practical framework for the adaptive reuse of industrial heritage and the regeneration of public spaces in comparable post-industrial contexts. Its broader applicability to different geographical and cultural settings warrants further validation through future research. Full article

Research on cultural heritage, regional resilience and Indigenous rights remains insufficiently integrated at the level of regional policy. This article develops a resilience-driven framework for analysing when Sámi cultural heritage in Norway, Sweden and Finland can support sustainable regional development. The study uses a conceptual research design based on a structured critical synthesis of the literature, model building and an illustrative policy application. The framework links environmental, social–cultural, economic and institutional dimensions of heritage with risk prevention, vulnerability reduction, adaptive capacity, transformative capacity and development capital security. It identifies land access, self-determination, effective participation, benefit-sharing and community control over knowledge as conditions governing heritage-to-resilience pathways. The country comparison illustrates a recurring gap between cultural recognition and influence over land and development decisions, while selected European instruments offer supportive but limited implementation pathways. The article does not claim causal proof. Its contribution is a conditional analytical and policy-screening framework that generates testable propositions and community-validated indicators for future empirical research. Full article

The paper presents a methodological framework for the integration, semantic organization and web-based dissemination of heterogeneous 3D archeological datasets. In particular, the study investigates strategies for model optimization, interoperability, multilevel information architecture and scientific visualization of complex archeological sites. The research builds upon an analysis of current workflows for 3D data acquisition, optimization, and dissemination, as well as a critical assessment of existing approaches to digital heritage communication. The proposed workflow supports the integration of datasets acquired at different spatial scales, from urban contexts to architectural elements and individual artifacts, enabling semantic correlation between geometric data and interpretative content. Alongside the technical aspects of model optimization, interoperability and web-based visualization, the research also examines the transmission of tangible and intangible cultural values during the transition from the physical environment to the digital domain. These technical and theoretical aspects are treated as complementary dimensions of a single methodological framework, ensuring consistency of the project in terms of data processing, accessibility, scientific rigor, and heritage interpretation. The workflow proposed is applied to the specific case of the walls of Pompeii, where the complex physical reality of the archeological site is accompanied by intangible characteristics, such as ancient techniques of warfare and siege. Using 3D models created during previous phases of the SCORPiò-NIDI project, the resulting web-based system provides layered access to information, facilitating both scientific analysis and dissemination activities while maintaining traceability of sources and clarity between acquired data and reconstructed hypotheses. The proposed framework contributes to current research on structured digital environments for Cultural Heritage and offers transferable methodologies for the management and dissemination of complex archeological datasets. Full article

The micro-excavation of funerary urns is a specialised archaeological procedure that requires technical expertise and access to fragile cultural heritage materials. Opportunities for hands-on training are limited due to the scarce availability of archaeological materials for educational purposes and the conservation requirements of archaeological remains. Digital technologies provide alternative approaches for supporting archaeological education while preserving original artefacts. This work presents an interactive web-based application for training in the micro-excavation of funerary urns, developed as part of the European ArchaeoPills project. The application builds on a previously developed Augmented Reality (AR) learning tool and guides learners through the complete funerary urn micro-excavation process within a virtual laboratory environment. To investigate the impact of different learning modalities in cultural heritage education, the web application was evaluated alongside an instructional video generated from a previously developed virtual reality application, providing access to the same training content without requiring immersive technologies. The results were also compared with those previously obtained using the AR version. Learning outcomes, perceived workload, and user experience were compared across the different conditions. Both the instructional video and the web application produced significant learning gains, and no significant differences were observed between the two modalities. The learning outcomes obtained with the video-based resource and the web application did not differ significantly from those of the AR version. Both the instructional video and the web application were perceived as accessible and useful educational resources. These findings suggest that video-based, web-based, and AR-based resources developed from the same archaeological content and educational materials can all effectively support learning. However, further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings. The choice among these resources should therefore be guided not only by learning effectiveness but also by instructional objectives, technological resources, and the desired level of learner interaction. Full article

Traditional villages commonly face functional decline and vitality loss amid modernization, which severely threatens the long-term cultural and ecological sustainability of rural heritage spaces. Commercial settlements, evolved along ancient trade routes, follow distinct spatial logics, yet existing studies rely heavily on qualitative descriptions, lacking quantitative frameworks that integrate spatial structure and functional vitality to support targeted sustainable heritage renewal. Taking the main street of Lanche Village, a typical commercial settlement along the Taihang ancient trail in southeastern Shanxi, as a case study, this paper establishes an analytical framework combining Space Syntax, Platform-derived geospatial POI data, and agent-based simulation. Core syntactic indicators (integration, choice, intelligibility) are calculated, and POI kernel density analysis and pedestrian flow simulation are conducted. The results confirm the traditional commercial logic of “post road as the axis, shop-front and residence-back” with high integration and accessibility of the main street. However, three key problems are identified: low spatial intelligibility (R² = 0.43), a significant vitality gap between southern and central sections, and a mismatch between high spatial potential and low functional vitality. Agent-based simulation further reveals pedestrian hotspots and “invisible boundaries” caused by closed street interfaces. This study identifies a context-dependent partial decoupling between spatial potential and functional vitality in declining commercial settlements, expanding the applicable boundary of classical Space Syntax vitality theory in recession-stage settlements. While overall spatial accessibility and functional density show a significant positive correlation consistent with classical expectations, local mismatch zones emerge under the mediation of closed street interfaces and functional inertia. Based on quantitative diagnosis, four micro-regeneration strategies are proposed: structural infill, functional insertion, morphological restoration, and placemaking, forming a complete workflow from diagnosis to intervention. This study constructs a multi-scale spatial vitality mismatch diagnostic framework, and proposes targeted renewal strategies corresponding to the diagnostic conclusions. Centered on revealing the decoupling mechanism between spatial potential and functional vitality, this study builds a matched multi-scale diagnostic workflow as supporting methodology, and puts forward targeted renewal suggestions corresponding to the identified vitality barriers. It also provides an actionable approach for the sustainable renewal of traditional commercial settlements. Full article

Understanding residents’ and tourists’ public space perceptions and satisfaction was essential for the sustainable planning and tourism development of historic towns. However, limited attention has been paid to the different perceptions between the two groups, as well as the nonlinear relationship between public space perception and satisfaction. Taking Fenghuang Ancient Town as the study area, this study used independent sample t-tests to examine the differences between residents and tourists. The XGBoost-SHAP model was further applied to identify key influencing factors and nonlinear interaction mechanisms affecting satisfaction. The results showed that: (1) residents perceived higher public awareness, space openness, and accessibility, whereas tourists reported higher crowd density and business prosperity; (2) color harmony most strongly influenced residents’ satisfaction, while spatial comfort had the strongest influence on tourists’ satisfaction; (3) color harmony and spatial comfort positively affected satisfaction, whereas space openness (residents) and crowd density (tourists) showed U-shaped relationships; and (4) for residents, the strongest interaction was between color harmony and business prosperity (0.015), while for tourists it was between spatial comfort and color harmony (0.038). These findings provided evidence-based guidance for sustainable public space planning and cultural heritage tourism management, contributing to inclusive governance and the long-term sustainability of historic towns. Full article