Around the world, planning authorities are reassessing the relationship between cultural heritage and modern innovation. They recognise that cultural tourism can create huge economic opportunities, and that traditional cultural wisdom can reveal new insights for sustainable development.
Their strategies incorporate cultural heritage that is both tangible, such as architecture, physical objects and natural wonders, and intangible, such as the traditions, skills and knowledge that are handed down between generations.
“With globalisation, a uniformity has emerged,” explains Meskerem Brhane, regional director for sustainable development, Middle East and North Africa, at the World Bank. “But urbanists now see that preserving a clear identity is not only economically beneficial, it also gives people a sense of hope — a sense of purpose.
Civic pride can create economic opportunity
Culture also has vast economic value: cultural visitors accounted for 40 per cent of pre-pandemic tourism, forming a significant portion of the estimated 10.4 per cent of global GDP accounted for by travel and tourism in 2019.
The scale of this opportunity has encouraged planning authorities to preserve and renew community heritage and traditions. Increasingly, developers are using the existing fabric of a place as the foundations for the future.
The port city of George Town in Malaysia became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 thanks to its unique architectural townscape. But cultural heritage is at the core of its reinvention, says Aruna Gujral, director general of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).
“ George Town shows us how to position intangible heritage such as crafts to promote historic cities as tourist destinations. ”
Aruna Gujral
The Penang State Government set up a site manager, George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI), to manage and promote the city. GTWHI produced a community-based inventory of its rituals and festive events, and launched the annual George Town Heritage Celebrations in 2008, which feature a street festival, educational workshops and site visits to places of worship. George Town’s skilled craftspeople and traders are central to its success, and have been credited with helping to reinvent the city as a travel destination.
“George Town shows us how to position intangible heritage such as crafts to promote historic cities as tourist destinations,” says Gujral. Dialogue with the community was an essential part of understanding the opportunities and capturing the economic potential, she says. “It’s so important to have community engagement from the very beginning of a project.”
The desert city that is taking inspiration from the ancient past
Culture and heritage are also a priority in the regeneration of AlUla county in Saudi Arabia, where planners aim to capture the benefits of tourism while minimising the negative effects on the local environment and communities.
“Our vision is for a thriving future grounded in rich cultural heritage,” says Navdeep Hanjra, VP planning and development at the Royal Commission for AlUla. “Hundreds of years ago, AlUla’s communities had small centres or nodes in the public realm where people would come together,” she says. “Our plans will enable communities to relive that heritage.”
“ Hundreds of years ago, AlUla’s communities had small centres or nodes in the public realm where people would come together. Our plans will enable communities to relive that heritage. ”
Navdeep Hanjra
The Royal Commission for AlUla aims to increase the community’s population to 130,000 and attract two million tourists annually. And its redevelopment is designed to showcase its tangible and intangible heritage — from the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra to local artisan producers.
“We want to create employment opportunities in everything from the new green industries to the arts and creative industries,” says Hanjra.
Projects underway at AlUla in green infrastructure include a battery-powered tramway, as well as an autonomous electric pod service. Meanwhile, at AlUla’s Madrasat Addeera, local women practice traditional arts and crafts which are then sold in AlUla’s Old Town Market, preserving traditional artforms and supporting local families.
Digital infrastructure can preserve connections with the past
Technology has an important role to play in preserving cultural heritage and traditional wisdom, according to ICCROM’s Gujral.
“ Modern technology can amplify traditional knowledge and allow it to be used more impactfully. ”
Aruna Gujral
“Traditional knowledge is not in opposition to contemporary scientific knowledge,” she says. “Modern technology can amplify traditional knowledge and allow it to be used more impactfully.”
That might mean using artificial intelligence to interpret geospatial or other data, which allows for better monitoring of the impact of conservation and regeneration programmes. Or it might involve digitising cultural assets — the EU, for instance, has issued recommendations for the 3D digitisation of cultural heritage sites and monuments. Digital platforms could also be used to record and catalogue indigenous knowledge or oral traditions to keep them safe for future generations.
These innovations could help to preserve humanity’s precious cultural heritage and make it accessible for generations to come. As policymakers and communities try to achieve the SDGs by 2030, that is an aspiration that should be a central part of their development work.