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Local Heritage and Sustainability
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Local Heritage and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2018) | Viewed by 137186

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Baoxiu Zhang

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Guest Editor
College of Applied Arts & Science, Beijing Union University, China
Interests: historical geography; studies of local cultures
Prof. Dr. Shangyi Zhou

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: cultural geography; social geography; historical heritage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jingqiu Zhang

E-Mail
Guest Editor
College of Applied Arts & Science, Beijing Union University, China
Interests: urban geography; urban planning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm in 1972, discussed the definition of a healthy and vibrant environment when using the advanced concept of sustainable development. Subsequently, in 1987, the World Committee on Environment and Development (WCED) published Our Common Future and officially defined the concept of sustainable development. The term extensively addresses the global economic, social, environmental and cultural development dimensions associated with this concept.
Based on the Stockholm and other UN initiatives related to sustainable development, scholars are asked to pay attention to those places of cultural and natural heritage that are under threat because of years of natural damage and the impacts of economic and social change. Considering the damage or disappearance of cultural and natural heritage, UNESCO formally adopted the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972.  It was a call for the international community to protect the cultural and natural heritage of places that have an outstanding universal value, as well as the establishment of a modern scientific approach to study sustainable systems. Because of this initiative, the protection and use of the world's cultural and natural heritage has aroused the attention of scholars and wider public communities.
With advances in globalization, local people in many cultural and economic settings face the impacts of world culture due to their local geographical and cultural boundaries. On the one hand, they are forced by economic growth pressure, and local tradition often gives way to modern pop culture and loses its inherent uniqueness. On the other hand, unique local culture is very often very-closely related to the natural environment, traditional values, memory and daily life. There is often also a spiritual motivation for local development that reflects values associated with sustainable development. More people are beginning to recognize that modernization should not abandon traditional local cultures.
Accordingly, the protection and usage of local heritage is an important issue of sustainable development. In nearly half a century, scholars of various disciplines, including geographers, sociologists, historians, and legal research scholars, have explored the relationships between local heritage and sustainable development, as well as the homogeneity and heterogeneity of local heritage and World Heritage in different cultural settings. In order to enhance our mutual understanding about local heritage and sustainability interrelationships, we invite scholars from interdisciplinary fields to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • International dialogue on local culture studies

  • The relationship between local heritage and world heritage

  • The local heritage and sustainable development: case studies

  • other related topics

Prof. Dr. Baoxiu Zhang
Prof. Dr. Shangyi Zhou
Prof. Dr. Jingqiu Zhang
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (16 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3012 KiB  
Article
An Exploration of the Cultural Landscape Model of Zhuge Village
by Li Xu and Shang-Chia Chiou
Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3172; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093172 - 5 Sep 2018
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5187
Abstract
Since ancient times, China has adhered to designing human settlement based on the concept of “defending the emperor and safeguarding the ordinary”. With its spatial structure in accordance with the Chinese ancient strategist Zhuge Liang’s art of war “the Diagram of the Eight-Sided [...] Read more.
Since ancient times, China has adhered to designing human settlement based on the concept of “defending the emperor and safeguarding the ordinary”. With its spatial structure in accordance with the Chinese ancient strategist Zhuge Liang’s art of war “the Diagram of the Eight-Sided Battle Formation” and in line with the terrain of natural landscape, Zhuge Village, the settlement of Zhuge Liang’s descendants in middle Zhejiang Province, has formed a landscape model featuring cultural characteristics. Using literature research, field research, schema cognition and analysis method, this paper investigates and analyzes aspects such as the siting of settlement, spatial layout, landscape images, ritual activities, and landscape changes so as to explore the concepts from ancient art of war to spatial design as well as analyze its landscape forms and the construction of its landscape model. The paper aims to reveal how the designer of Zhuge Village transformed the spatial deployment of the battle formation in the ancient art of war into the spatial landscape model of “living and working in peace and contentment”. In addition, this paper intends to explore the cultural landscape model of the traditional settlement on the basis of Chinese traditional cultural symbol, “the Eight Trigrams”, in hope that it will provide some inspiration for urban public landscape design in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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16 pages, 4273 KiB  
Article
The Spatial Factors of Cultural Identity: A Case Study of the Courtyards in a Historical Residential Area in Beijing
by Zhifen Cheng, Shangyi Zhou and Baoxiu Zhang
Sustainability 2018, 10(8), 2587; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082587 - 24 Jul 2018
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4891
Abstract
The issue of identity is very complex and determining the factors influencing cultural identity is a key issue. Several scholars have studied the factors influencing cultural identity. However, relatively little attention has been paid to how spatial factors influence cultural identity. This paper [...] Read more.
The issue of identity is very complex and determining the factors influencing cultural identity is a key issue. Several scholars have studied the factors influencing cultural identity. However, relatively little attention has been paid to how spatial factors influence cultural identity. This paper takes a historical and cultural conservation block in Beijing, China, as the research area. This area includes eight lanes and is called Eight Lanes in North Xisi. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that spatial changes in living conditions, layout, size, architectural form, and decoration, etc. in the courtyards led to changes in the traditional culture of the courtyards, which ceased to reflect the original residential culture, which led to a decline in cultural identity. Spatial factors directly affected the residents’ cultural identification with harmonious courtyard culture. This view adds nuance to debates about cultural identity and the factors that influence it. From the perspective of cultural geography and by using structural equation modelling, we draw two main conclusions. First, the smaller proportion of public space (The term “space” as it is used in this paper is based on the understanding of humanistic geographers and refers to physical space; it does not acquire meaning and cultures.) is one main factor affecting residents’ identification with the harmonious residential culture of the case area. Second, the greater population density of the courtyards is another main factor affecting residents’ identification with the area’s harmonious residential culture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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28 pages, 629 KiB  
Article
Indicators for Assessing the Sustainability of Built Heritage Attractions: An Anglo-Chinese Study
by Wei Ren and Feng Han
Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2504; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072504 - 17 Jul 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5548
Abstract
Although sustainability is now a well-established concept, it is less well-established in the management of built heritage attractions. This paper reports research on the application of sustainability indicators for built heritage attractions, as a means to advance a more holistic sustainability assessment approach [...] Read more.
Although sustainability is now a well-established concept, it is less well-established in the management of built heritage attractions. This paper reports research on the application of sustainability indicators for built heritage attractions, as a means to advance a more holistic sustainability assessment approach for the management of this important type of attraction. The research employed a questionnaire-based survey and four case studies designed to provide information concerning sustainability assessment for a substantial sample of built heritage attractions in both the UK and China. It seeks to identify the dimensions of sustainability for such attractions through a consideration of relevant sustainability indicators. The research findings indicate important variations in terms of the importance of key sustainable indicators between the UK and China. The results also provide pointers as to how the set of indicators might be developed further to provide a more holistic and measurable appraisal method to assess the sustainability of the management of built heritage attractions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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19 pages, 4763 KiB  
Article
Environmental Features of Chinese Architectural Heritage: The Standardization of Form in the Pursuit of Equilibrium with Nature
by Jose-Manuel Almodovar-Melendo and Joseph-Maria Cabeza-Lainez
Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2443; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072443 - 12 Jul 2018
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5612
Abstract
We present a scientific discussion about Chinese historical architecture and cultural paradigms in order to analyze the formation of building patterns objectively connected to environmental features. In this regard, we will demonstrate the process of standardization from architectural modules related in different levels [...] Read more.
We present a scientific discussion about Chinese historical architecture and cultural paradigms in order to analyze the formation of building patterns objectively connected to environmental features. In this regard, we will demonstrate the process of standardization from architectural modules related in different levels of composition around “voids”, onto cosmological urban tissues in harmony with nature. The conclusions show that we can only understand Chinese architectural patterns in relation to Dào or nature, and in turn, they possess profound social and environmental values from which we receive useful lessons to advance towards sustainability in architecture and urban planning. The authors believe that it is critical for China and the world to find a new approach to the building construction industry with an ecological and philosophical background recognizable as “Chinese” and based in its own past. In order to support the information provided in the first part of the article, the authors have conducted an environmental analysis of the traditional Chinese urban layout whose results greatly confirm the initial hypotheses, i.e. the historical fashion of constructing neighborhoods improves conditions of the town in terms of comfort and is able to save energy, thus reducing pernicious change effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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12 pages, 3341 KiB  
Article
The Sustainable Development of Street Texture of Historic and Cultural Districts―A Case Study in Shichahai District, Beijing
by Jingyu Zhang, Jingqiu Zhang, Shaolu Yu and Jiaying Zhou
Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2343; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072343 - 6 Jul 2018
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4334
Abstract
This paper explores the sustainable development of historic and cultural districts based on the case study of the Shichahai District in Beijing, China. By using the space syntax method, this paper traces the changing street texture of the Shichahai District during the Yuan [...] Read more.
This paper explores the sustainable development of historic and cultural districts based on the case study of the Shichahai District in Beijing, China. By using the space syntax method, this paper traces the changing street texture of the Shichahai District during the Yuan period, the Ming period, the Qing period, and the current period. It attempts to examine (1) the characteristics of the traditional street structure of Old Beijing; (2) the major changes of street fabric and their causes during the historical periods; and (3) the impacts of modern land use pattern on urban street structure. This research finds that the main street texture remains relatively stable in the Shichahai District. However, the increasing dependence on cars in Beijing decreases street vitality in general. But the combination of pedestrian and community-level commercial streets helps enhancing the liveliness of historic and cultural districts, which further promotes the preservation and development of these neighborhoods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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15 pages, 1439 KiB  
Article
Community Heritage Linking Place and Mobility: A Case Study of “Bangbei” in Ethnic Bai Villages of Yunnan Province, China
by Cansong Li, Xuebo Zhang, Ian G. Baird and Juncheng Dai
Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2322; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072322 - 5 Jul 2018
Viewed by 3297
Abstract
Is there any kind of community heritage that links individuals and homes within the context of increasing mobility? In this study, the unique Bangbei system of the Bai ethnic group in Dianbei District of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China is examined. [...] Read more.
Is there any kind of community heritage that links individuals and homes within the context of increasing mobility? In this study, the unique Bangbei system of the Bai ethnic group in Dianbei District of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China is examined. In-depth interviews have been employed to assess the evolution of Bangbei and the dynamic nature of its development. We find that Bangbei has become an important “place-making” tool for linking people and their “homes”, thus serving as a spatially unbounded place-based community heritage mechanism that sees community as not only place-bound, but as increasingly dispersed and mobile. This case prompts us to rethink the spatial boundedness of particular community heritages and their role in making and maintaining placeness in the context of increasing globalization and associated mobility. Thinking about Bangbei helps us conceptualize community heritage in a more spatially expansive and unbounded way. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 2048 KiB  
Article
The Change Mechanism of Human-Environment Interactions from the Perspective of Contextualization: A Case Study of the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces as a World Cultural Heritage Site
by Honglian Hua, Shangyi Zhou, Zhiqiang Ding and Yujun Pan
Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2230; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072230 - 28 Jun 2018
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5103
Abstract
The importance of special contexts and historical contingency in explaining the mechanism of human-environment interactions is being increasingly emphasized by human geographers. However, their studies lack appropriate theories and an operational framework to apply a “contextualization” epistemology to explain human-environment interactions. Based on [...] Read more.
The importance of special contexts and historical contingency in explaining the mechanism of human-environment interactions is being increasingly emphasized by human geographers. However, their studies lack appropriate theories and an operational framework to apply a “contextualization” epistemology to explain human-environment interactions. Based on the theory of event ecology, this study establishes a new framework and illustrates it by presenting a case study of the world heritage site of the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces (HHRT). This case study demonstrates that in the HHRT, although it is overwhelmingly believed that the sharp increase in the numbers of restaurants and hotels resulted in increased water usage and, consequently, a decreased amount of water for irrigation, in fact, the dry local terraces were mainly caused by continuously decreased precipitation, the planting of water-consuming crops in forests and deforestation in recent years. These factors were not objectively considered primarily because the unbalanced opportunities for residents to participate in tourism led to significant conflicts in the local community. Thus, the locals exaggerated the contribution of tourism to the dry terraces because they wanted the outsiders pay more attention to these conflicts. This study suggests that the new research framework can effectively avoid presupposition and presumption caused by the prior cognition among researchers and local people to objectively recognize the causes of changes in human-environment interactions. In addition, this study demonstrates that it is necessary to analyze the mechanism for changes in human-environment interactions in detail from the perspectives of local political, economic, and social contexts to enhance the sustainable development of cultural landscape heritage sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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21 pages, 5203 KiB  
Article
Promoting a World Heritage Site through Social Media: Suwon City’s Facebook Promotion Strategy on Hwaseong Fortress (in South Korea)
by Sung-Won Yoon and Sae Won Chung
Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2189; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072189 - 27 Jun 2018
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6697
Abstract
This paper examines how Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site in South Korea, has been promoted by the city of Suwon by social media. Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea’s most populous province, which surrounds Seoul and embraces abundant historical [...] Read more.
This paper examines how Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site in South Korea, has been promoted by the city of Suwon by social media. Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea’s most populous province, which surrounds Seoul and embraces abundant historical heritages, such as the Hwaseong Fortress. To celebrating the creation of the fortress and its historical values, the city has hosted various cultural events every year, including the year 2016, when the city celebrated ‘2016 Visit Year Suwon Hwaseong.’ As for promotion, the city actively utilises social media platforms, such as Facebook, to raise public attention to the event. This paper attempts to examine how effectively and actively the city promoted the events through social media from 2015 to 2017. Facebook was a particular focus because of its popularity among the Korean public. By comparatively exploring network features, subordinate features and semantic features captured by Node XL for the targeted years, the authors examine any specific changes over time in the city’s promotion patterns. Furthermore, based on the key findings, some suggestions are provided for further development of the promotion strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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16 pages, 1331 KiB  
Article
Interpreting the Inheritance Mechanism of the Wu Yue Sacred Mountains in China Using Structuralist and Semiotic Approaches
by Shangyi Zhou and Weilin Xu
Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2127; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072127 - 22 Jun 2018
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5000
Abstract
The sustainability of sacred mountains has attracted the attention of both international communities and scholars. However, few studies have focused on the sustainability mechanisms of sacred mountains in the cultural dimension. This article presents a case study of the Wu Yue, i.e., five [...] Read more.
The sustainability of sacred mountains has attracted the attention of both international communities and scholars. However, few studies have focused on the sustainability mechanisms of sacred mountains in the cultural dimension. This article presents a case study of the Wu Yue, i.e., five sacred mountains in China, which is endowed with the highest status and has been a sustainable cultural heritage for more than two thousand years. Drawing on the approaches of structuralist geography and semiotics, this article seeks to systematically interpret the inheritance mechanism of the Wu Yue. Two major conclusions are drawn. First, based on the approach of structuralist geography, the spatial structure of the Wu Yue can be viewed as a surface structure that is determined by a deep structure: the Five Elements Philosophy. Despite the relocation of the South Yue and the North Yue, each mountain of the Wu Yue has almost always been located in the five cardinal directions of the territory in accordance with the Five Elements Philosophy; this fact shows that the deep structure is crucial to maintaining the sustainability of the Wu Yue. Second, based on the semiotic approach, the sign of the sacred mountains has three levels. It is the third level of the sign, consisting of the spatial pattern as signifier and the Five Elements Philosophy as signified, that distinguishes the Wu Yue from other sacred mountains and has allowed them to be inherited for many generations. Poststructuralism can explain the Chinese semiotics of sacred mountains, but it is difficult to interpret the sustainability of the Wu Yue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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15 pages, 6778 KiB  
Article
Sustainability and Variability of Korean Wooden Architectural Heritage: The Relocation and Alteration
by Dai Whan An
Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1742; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061742 - 25 May 2018
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3664
Abstract
‘Relocation’ is the most distinctive feature of Korean wooden architecture, since every wooden material can be in most cases completely dismantled and moved to another place. This paper analyzes Cheongju Mangseollu that possesses these unique relocation characteristics excellently, because it was relocated twice [...] Read more.
‘Relocation’ is the most distinctive feature of Korean wooden architecture, since every wooden material can be in most cases completely dismantled and moved to another place. This paper analyzes Cheongju Mangseollu that possesses these unique relocation characteristics excellently, because it was relocated twice in 1923 and 1999 and the building’s function was therefore altered during the process. Mangseollu, which was once a pavilion, was relocated and altered into a school in 1923 and subsequently relocated into a pavilion again in 1999. Accordingly, there were inevitable changes in terms of function, surface, and structure every time it was relocated. As a result, the surface was utilized as one large space without walls, when it was altered into a classroom and the wall was built around each room. Despite all these changes, Mangseollu is recognized as a building of late Joseon period. Therefore, this paper claims that Korean wooden buildings are maintained with unique variability through the relocation process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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14 pages, 2810 KiB  
Article
How Can It Be More Real? A Case Study to Present the Authenticity of a Local Heritage District from the Perspective of Regional Spatial Morphology
by Huanxi Zhao
Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1715; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061715 - 24 May 2018
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2946
Abstract
The discussion of authenticity has become an academic theme of great interest to scholars in the tourism and heritage fields. However, there have been relatively few studies related to the authenticity of the spatial morphology of a historical urban area. This paper is [...] Read more.
The discussion of authenticity has become an academic theme of great interest to scholars in the tourism and heritage fields. However, there have been relatively few studies related to the authenticity of the spatial morphology of a historical urban area. This paper is based on the approach of the theory of “constructive authenticity”, and takes a local historical district heritage in Beijing as an example to analyze the authenticity of the spatial morphology of a particular heritage site. This paper takes into account three aspects: (1) overall layout; (2) street landscape; and (3) the pattern inside the courtyards. It then analyzes the Nanluo area from the perspective of the change in spatial patterns from the past to the present, as an aspect of research on the protection and sustainable development of local historic districts. Through the analysis, it can be seen that from the point of view of spatial morphology, the Nanluo area is distant from its shape in the past, and the main differences are reflected in the above three aspects. It also can be seen that in today’s Nanluo area, the authenticity of the layout that is perceived by tourists is a “constructive authenticity” that has been developed over years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 4258 KiB  
Article
The Trialectics of Spatiality: The Labeling of a Historical Area in Beijing
by Xin Li and Shangyi Zhou
Sustainability 2018, 10(5), 1542; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051542 - 12 May 2018
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 9363
Abstract
Urban planners like to label a historical area to highlight its historical value. From a perspective of postmodernism, people usually have multiple images of a historical area. Should the urban planners choose one of these many images as the label for the historical [...] Read more.
Urban planners like to label a historical area to highlight its historical value. From a perspective of postmodernism, people usually have multiple images of a historical area. Should the urban planners choose one of these many images as the label for the historical area? This study addresses this question. We apply Edward William Soja’s trialectics of spatiality to analyze Dongjiaominxiang (DJMX), a historical area in the center of Beijing. The results obtained are as follows: (1) the questionnaire shows the images of DJMX are different among groups and individuals; (2) interviews with four interviewees indicate that the image of DJMX changed in the mind of each interviewee when they looked at DJMX. These results support Soja’s trialectics of spatiality. This article concludes that urban planners do not need to label a historical area according to a specific image. Not labeling a historical area may give people more freedom to renew their own understanding. This study also reveals that the “Secondspace” may be a better starting point for analysis when using Soja’s trialectics of spatiality as a methodology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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18 pages, 1403 KiB  
Article
Social Network and Place: The Inheritance and Development of Beijing Crosstalk Performing Art
by Jimin Zhao and Shangyi Zhou
Sustainability 2018, 10(5), 1541; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051541 - 12 May 2018
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3868
Abstract
In order to protect the traditional performing arts, we need to analyze the factors that sustain its inheritance and development. Some of the factors are embedded in the place. This paper takes Beijing Crosstalk as an example to explore its relationship with the [...] Read more.
In order to protect the traditional performing arts, we need to analyze the factors that sustain its inheritance and development. Some of the factors are embedded in the place. This paper takes Beijing Crosstalk as an example to explore its relationship with the place Beijing. The authors interviewed and surveyed the crosstalk performers, and analyzed data of crosstalk performers from the Sina Weibo social media platform. The study found that Beijing crosstalk can be particularly successful because there are three levels of social networks embedded in Beijing: The first is the mentor–apprentice relationship within the crosstalk group. The second is communication with other performing groups or performers (such as other crosstalk groups, performers from opera, drama, etc.) in Beijing. The third is their cooperating relationship with the media. These three networks are not available in any other cities of China, which is the key to the inheritance and development of Beijing crosstalk as intangible cultural heritage. Therefore, the protection and transmission of local intangible cultural heritage needs not only to protect the intangible cultural heritage itself, but also to protect its related social networks and social resources that make up such networks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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394 KiB  
Article
The Role of Cultural Heritage in Sustainable Development: Multidimensional Indicators as Decision-Making Tool
by Francesca Nocca
Sustainability 2017, 9(10), 1882; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101882 - 19 Oct 2017
Cited by 264 | Viewed by 55261
Abstract
The concept of sustainable development has been the main topic of many international conferences. Although many discussions are related to the role of cultural heritage in sustainable development, they develop only on theoretical level. The answer to the main question, that is if [...] Read more.
The concept of sustainable development has been the main topic of many international conferences. Although many discussions are related to the role of cultural heritage in sustainable development, they develop only on theoretical level. The answer to the main question, that is if the cultural landscape can play a role in sustainable development, could be positive only if we are able to produce empirical evidence about its contribution to improve economic, social, and environmental productivity of the city. It is necessary to produce empirical evidence to demonstrate that cultural heritage conservation/valorization is an investment and not a cost. To date, there are few researches about the indicators that are able to support the relationship between cultural heritage conservation/regeneration and sustainable development. This paper intends to go beyond this limit and approach this issue in operational terms. It is focused on the role that cultural heritage can play in the sustainable development framework. An assessment framework that is able to capture the multidimensional benefits of cultural landscape conservation/valorization is proposed here starting from the analysis of 40 case studies of culture-led regeneration projects. A matrix of multidimensional indicators (divided into nine categories) about the impacts produced by these 40 cultural heritage conservation/valorization projects and its critical analysis is here proposed, mainly focusing the attention on the double relationship between the tourism sector and climate change. Although the analyses often refer to sustainability, it is not concretely addressed because there is an imbalance among the dimensions: in most cases, only the economic component is highlighted, leaving out the social and environmental dimensions. Furthermore, the impacts related to cultural-led projects are mainly interpreted in terms of tourism and real estate impacts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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1766 KiB  
Article
The Revival and Restructuring of a Traditional Folk Festival: Cultural Landscape and Memory in Guangzhou, South China
by Huiling Chen and Wei Tao
Sustainability 2017, 9(10), 1767; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101767 - 6 Oct 2017
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 8273
Abstract
Landscape is an important object for research on local culture from a cultural geographical perspective. It is the spatial nature of memory that has seen the integrative study of memory and landscape receive increased attention from human geographers. The Qiqiao Festival is a [...] Read more.
Landscape is an important object for research on local culture from a cultural geographical perspective. It is the spatial nature of memory that has seen the integrative study of memory and landscape receive increased attention from human geographers. The Qiqiao Festival is a traditional folk festival in the Lingnan region of Southern China. After half a century of suppression, the Qiqiao Festival in Zhucun was publically revitalized as the Guangzhou Qiqiao Cultural Festival, which coincided with the changing structure and significance of the landscape. This paper selected Zhucun, a typical urban village, as its case study and constructed an index system of festival landscapes. Through in-depth interviews, this paper studied the revival and restructure process of the Qiqiao Festival, and the role that landscapes play in the formation mechanism of memory on the part of subjects with different identities. The results showed that the elite and the local government selectively restructure festival landscapes, replacing authentic landscapes with “official” ones. The selection and production of a festival landscape constructed different memories among the subjects, where the festival memory of grassroots villagers was self-constructed and mostly came from traditional festival landscape elements while top-down interventions in the festival landscape constructed a different “official” memory for citizens and migrants to those of the villagers. The contemporary festival deviates from the original, which has weakened the conscious degree of cultural evolution and has had a reaction on the authenticity of memory. This research serves a reference for approaches in planning and conserving intangible cultural heritage in historic villages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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4282 KiB  
Article
Socio-Cultural Asset Integration for a Green Infrastructure Network Plan in Yesan County, Korea
by María José Carranza Orantes, Jinki Kim and Jiseok Kim
Sustainability 2017, 9(2), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9020192 - 28 Jan 2017
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6813
Abstract
Green Infrastructure (GI) can be used as a framework for planning human settlements and guiding development away from natural areas that possess high ecological value and provide important Ecosystem Services for society’s development. In this paper, we present a GI Plan for Yesan [...] Read more.
Green Infrastructure (GI) can be used as a framework for planning human settlements and guiding development away from natural areas that possess high ecological value and provide important Ecosystem Services for society’s development. In this paper, we present a GI Plan for Yesan County (Yesan GI Plan), a small shrinking city in the Republic of Korea. Yesan possesses very rich, but still fairly unexplored natural and cultural resources. Therefore, Yesan’s GI Plan was developed through a multifunctional approach based on the different ecological and socio-cultural characteristics of the region, allowing to connect the core elements that conform the vernacular landscape and get the most out of the Ecosystem Services provided by resources in the area. The plan was defined mainly in two stages: first, applying weights to the different ecological and socio/cultural characteristics; secondly, arranging them through a set of GIS spatial analysis tools using a patch-corridor- matrix model approach. The final outcome is a lean network of ecological value hubs, connected to a set of socio-cultural value assets through a network of water bodies, intrinsic forestry characteristics and wildlife mobility in the area. This was followed in order to connect, facilitate and improve mobility and energy flow in Yesan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Local Heritage and Sustainability)
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