Speaker
Description
Since the early 21st century, the conservation and revitalization of cultural heritage have emerged as global priorities in the fields of planning and architecture. However, the diverse intrinsic values of different heritage sites demand region-specific regeneration approaches that genuinely align with local contexts and community needs. While internationally recognized concepts such as the “Historic Urban Landscape” and “Adaptive Reuse” have fostered worldwide knowledge exchange, ongoing discrepancies in language, economics, technology, and policy continue to hinder cross-cultural collaboration. This study presents a comparative analysis of heritage regeneration initiatives in Asia and Europe, aiming to identify transformative trends and inform future cooperative endeavors.
Focusing on winning projects of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation and the European Heritage Awards from 2004 to 2023, this study employs statistical and cluster analyses, along with textual examinations of project descriptions and jury citations. These two prizes were selected for their strong reputations within their respective regions, reflecting contemporary heritage conservation standards. Over this period, the Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards recognized 215 projects (2003–2024), while the European Heritage Awards recognized 206 architectural projects, indicating a high degree of comparability. After screening and summarizing, the final corpus of project descriptions and jury citations totaled 82,671 words—providing a sufficiently robust dataset for comprehensive analysis.
Initial findings highlight three central insights: (1) Over the past two decades, both Asia and Europe have increasingly intertwined heritage conservation with societal needs, underscoring sustainability, economic feasibility, community involvement, and resilience; (2) Despite shared overarching concepts, distinct regional variations persist—Asian practices often focus on community-driven frameworks, cultural continuity, and safeguarding intangible heritage within diverse socio-cultural landscapes, while European approaches place greater emphasis on architectural innovation, environmental sustainability, and urban integration; (3) These divergences arise from contrasting historical trajectories, policy structures, economic contexts, and technological capacities, leading to unique interpretations and applications of heritage conservation.
To address cross-cultural gaps, the study advocates creating comprehensive cross-regional exchange platforms that streamline best-practice sharing, develop multilingual resources, and encourage collaborative projects. Such measures can deepen mutual understanding, respect local particularities, and enable more effective cross-cultural communication and cooperation in heritage revitalization efforts. These findings illuminate the intricate dynamics between universal heritage frameworks—such as the UNESCO World Heritage Convention—and the nuanced socio-political and economic factors shaping regional heritage practices. By acknowledging these complexities and emphasizing unified objectives of sustainability and cultural preservation, this study lays the groundwork for a more integrated and context-sensitive approach to heritage conservation globally.
References
Colomer, L. (2017). Heritage on the move. Cross-cultural heritage as a response to globalisation, mobilities and multiple migrations. International journal of heritage studies, 23(10), 913-927.
Chen, F. (2022). Analysis of the characteristics of art intangible cultural heritage in cross-cultural communication. Art and Design Review, 10(3), 389-396.
| Keywords | Cultural Heritage; Cross-Cultural Collaboration; Adaptive Reuse |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
