Heritage Place Lab, interlinking research and practice for improving World Heritage management
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Heritage Place Lab
World Heritage Leadership Programme
The World Heritage Leadership Programme (WHLP) is facilitating linkages between research and practice in order to support World Heritage site management and policy-making by applying a heritage place approach into a research-practice laboratory, the Heritage Place Lab. The intention of the Heritage Place Lab is to function as an incubator of practice-led research agendas for specific World Heritage properties, but also servicing a larger range of properties facing similar issues, by promoting research projects whose findings can have positive benefits for site management and promote site management practices that can shape future research. The pilot phase of the Heritage Place Lab consisted of six online workshops held across a period of one year. During these workshops, site managers and researchers worked collaboratively to explore real World Heritage place issues and concerns that can be addressed through practice-driven research.
Last update: 01 Apr 2022
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Context
Challenges addressed
The World Heritage system provides space for exchange between academic researchers and practitioners, however, such collaboration has not been sufficiently and systematically undertaken. The Heritage Place Lab aims to activate these networks by addressing the following challenges:
- Weak connections between academia and site management;
- Lack or limited exchange between researchers and practitioners from the natural and cultural heritage fields;
- Lack of direct impacts of heritage research on site management;
- Limited research that addresses site management issues;
- Lack or limited platforms to promote applied research for World Heritage; and
- Lack or limited platforms to promote interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity and knowledge systems dialogues, including Indigenous and local knowledge for World Heritage.
Location
Italy
Argentina
Botswana
Ghana
Guatemala
India
Norway
Peru
Zimbabwe
West and Central Africa
East and South Africa
Central America
South America
South Asia
North Europe
Process
Summary of the process
Establishing partnerships between institutions sets the foundation to initiate the Heritage Place Lab process (BB1), in order to commit the Research-Practice Teams on the participation of the online incubator workshops (BB2) and the publication of outputs (BB4). Assessing the management effectiveness as a collaborative work between researchers and site managers (BB3) enabled the streghtening of the parternships, and the development of the outputs.
Building Blocks
Establishing partnerships between research institutions and management authorities
The World Heritage Leadership Programme (WHLP) released an open call for applications for Research-Practice Teams interested in working on World Heritage management issues collaboratively in the experimental Heritage Place Lab. The Research-Practice Teams had to be composed of a group of researchers (2-4), and a group of site managers (2-4). The research group could include faculty members, post-doctoral and graduate students, based in one or more research institutions, covering cultural heritage and/or natural heritage fields. The group of site managers could include 2-4 members involved in the management of one World Heritage property, which could belong to one or more institutions (managing authorities, municipality, community among others), and who were part of the World Heritage site management system. The WHLP encouraged Research-Practice Teams to work cross-regionally and in multi and interdisciplinary groups, including considering gender and intergenerational balance as priorities. Research-Practice Teams had to commit to working together for the duration of the Heritage Place Lab pilot phase and its follow-up activities, (including in between the 6 incubator online workshops).
Enabling factors
- Existing World Heritage research and practice networks, particularly those connected to the WHLP, including those of Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Convention: UNESCO Chairs, Universities Fora, ICOMOS International Scientific Committees, IUCN Commissions and Specialists Groups, and initiatives, like the ICOMOS-IUCN Connecting Practice Project, and the World Heritage Site Managers Forum;
- Interest in applied research by site managers and researchers;
- Interest of heritage practitioners to connect intersectorally and internationally.
Lesson learned
In the process of calling and consultations with potential Research-Practice Teams it became evident that the commitment to such a project would require:
- Institutional support from the side of research institutions and management authorities;
- Potential financial support for ensuring the commitment of both groups in a Team;
- Produce special incentives for researchers beyond financial, such as scientific publications;
- Produce concrete results that would be useful for the management authorities, such as the development of a research agenda that could be used in conjunction with management plans.
Research-Practice incubator online workshops
The Heritage Place Lab functioned as an incubator of practice-led research agendas for 8 World Heritage properties, promoting channels for research to impact on site management and site management to influence research through the implementation of 6 online workshops of 3 sessions of 3 hours each held during the span of 7 months. During these workshops, site management issues were explored collaboratively enabling researchers to test theories and methodologies with site managers working on the ground. Researchers got access to World Heritage properties and gain in-depth understanding of local needs. Site managers became familiar with research methods and co-produced research agendas for their World Heritage places. Over 30 guest speakers from different backgrounds, including researchers, practitioners, officers and international experts provided inputs on specific subjects developed in each workshop. Faciliators provided inputs for reflection and feedback to the Teams on the development of assignments that led to the production of research agendas.
Enabling factors
- Due to the COVID pandemic, the WHL switched to online activities and this allowed for the involvement of researchers, practitioners and experts from all over the world.
- The online setting was already familiar to most of participants in the project, including the use of interactive applications which allowed for closer exchange.
Lesson learned
- Even though participants were used to the online setting, there were constraints with the coordination of time zones (too early for some, too late for others), and therefore, such activities could be better implemented at national or regional level.
- Technical issues of internet connections and access to devices were present in every workshop, limiting the active participation of some of the people involved in the project.
- The lack of physical connection was a challenge, however, the online setting allowed for other types of exchange and connection and enlarging the network (more people could be involved, Teams could organize their work in virtual chat rooms and classrooms).
Collaboratively assessing management effectiveness of World Heritage properties
The Heritage Place Lab tested concepts and tools being developed under or in collaboration with the WHL including the Knowledge Framework for Managing World Heritage, Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 (EOH 2.0), as well as the case studies’ database of PANORAMA Nature-Culture Community (https://panorama.solutions/en/portal/nature-culture). For the purpose of developing World Heritage properties’ practice-led research agendas, the Heritage Place Lab proposed that each Research-Practice Team work on assignments between workshops that were later presented. The sequence of the assignments was designed to feed into the production of the research agendas for each World Hertage property, using the Tools 1, 2 and 4 of the EOH 2.0 Toolkit which aims at assessing management effectiveness. The Teams evaluated the shared understanding of values and attributes, governance arrangements and factor affecting their heritage places, which allowed to identify management issues and research priorities.
Enabling factors
- The WHLP is currently developing a number of manuals and tools to support the management of World Heritage properties. These were possible to test during the Heritage Place Lab pilot phase.
- The involvement in the project of authors of these manuals and tools, as well as from practitioners that applied these tools on their sites facilitated the process.
Lesson learned
- The manuals and tools have been created for the use of managers of World Heritage and other heritage places, and they were more difficult to understand by researchers. However, in the process of using the tools, it helped researchers to understand management more closely, and to identify management needs and research needs based on issues on the ground, connecting more closely with the sites.
- The collaborative work between researchers and site managers assessing management effectiveness was fundamental to strenghten the research-practice partnerships and enabled the inception of new potential projects and plans within Teams.
Publication of ouputs
In order to commit Research-Practice Teams in the Heritage Place Lab on a voluntary basis, it was necessary to establish the production of tangible outputs that would be useful for individuals, institutions and heritage places. The Heritage Place Lab proposed to develop and publish the research agendas resulting from the process, the publication of a special issue on the Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development (Emerald) which is an important step for academics, and the production of Nature-Culture solutions to be published on PANORAMA.
Enabling factors
- WHLP runs the PANORAMA Nature-Culture Community;
- ICCROM, main implementing partner is itself a research institution and has in-house publishing;
- Partnership established with the Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development (Emerald) for the development of the special issue.
Lesson learned
The process of publishing outputs adds to the process of the online incubator workshops, so it is important to calculate the timing for both processes, as well as counting with resources for editorial work and follow-up. This needs to be established before starting the implementation.
Impacts
The Heritage Place Lab has enabled:
- The establishment or reinforcement of partnerships between research institutions and site management authorities;
- The networking between researchers and site managers accross 4 world regions and 8 World Heritage properties, including historic cities, protected areas, archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, vernacular built heritage and industrial sites;
- The development of practice-led research agendas for World Heritage properties;
- The testing and formulation of a research-practice model of collaboration that can be scaled-up in other heritage places.
Beneficiaries
World Heritage system actors, including researchers, site managers, youth, local communities, Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Convention, heritage practitioners.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 4 – Quality education
SDG 11 – Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 13 – Climate action
SDG 15 – Life on land
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals
