Heritage Values Network - H@V

Lead Research Organisation: University College London
Department Name: Institute of Archaeology

Abstract

The project will initiate a European, cross-disciplinary dialogue between heritage practitioners, researchers and policy makers on 'heritage values' through the conduct of three networking workshops in Eindhoven, Oslo and Barcelona respectively. The term 'heritage values' refers to the meanings and values that individuals or groups of people assign to heritage (including collections, buildings, sites, landscapes etc). The meetings will bring together academics, policy makers and heritage practitioners to discuss through interactive and innovative sessions:

a) How are heritage values understood by policy makers, heritage professionals (e.g. conservators, archaeologists, architects, historians) and heritage theorists across Europe?
b) How can heritage values be assessed, measured and prioritized by policy makers and heritage practitioners in Europe?
c) How can the public be involved in the assessment process of heritage values?

There is great ambiguity regarding the term 'heritage values' and how this is conceptualized in different disciplines, practices and countries. In addition, there is limited research on methodological tools that can be used for assessing the diverse range of values that different individuals or groups of people assign to a wide array of heritage sites. Current methods focus mostly on measuring the economic benefits of heritage. More importantly, our limited current knowledge is based on research conducted predominantly in Anglophonic countries. The Heritage Values Network project argues that a transnational approach to this subject will unpack the influence of cultural contexts on understanding and assessing heritage values. This process will facilitate the development of a conceptual and methodological framework on heritage values that can be shared by heritage organizations in Europe. The proposed project will ultimately lead to collaborations between European consortium members for the creation of a European research proposal aimed to be submitted under the Horizon 2020 programme after the completion of this project.
 
Description The Heritage Values Network (H@V) project was designed to promote a European cross-disciplinary discussion between heritage practitioners, researchers and policy-makers on "heritage values". The project has achieved that goal very successfully and large-scale discussions were structured around three workshops. It brought together academics of the heritage studies and the practitioners who deal with the funding, management and protection of the heritage assets, and enabled type of discussion that is very holistic and inclusive. Although the project partners were all European institutions and the primary focus was the European heritage, the discussions also covered areas all around the world and involved the participation of practitioners from other parts of the world. Because of the global reach of the partner intuitions and diversity of their research and consultancy projects, the findings of the project and the knowledge generated from the discussions of the case studies is having an influence well beyond the boundaries of Europe.
The project created very valuable links within the partnership. Several publication initiatives, joint research projects for the future and plans for further funding applications emerged from the process and it fully justified the initial project goals.
Exploitation Route Most of the findings of the project is reflected in the academic publications that currently in-print or in preparation. Those publications will influence both specialist audiences and current researchers/students and subsequently will generate new approaches to research and management of the heritage.
Each partner institution involved several young researchers in this project and they are taking the findings forward in the form of new research initiatives but also as the information upon which to build new collaborations. The case studies had already been used in the projects where the partner institutions take an advisory role for practical heritage management projects.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy

Creative Economy

Education

Leisure Activities

including Sports

Recreation and Tourism

Government

Democracy and Justice

Culture

Heritage

Museums and Collections
URL http://heritagevalues.net/
 
Description From very early on, because of the inclusive nature of the workshops, the project partners expected the potential for considerable impact within the Heritage sector. Approaching the organisation of the workshops responsibly, the partner institutions involved/selected large number of practitioners who will gain immediate benefits from the themes of the workshops and the case studies that are discussed in the workshops. The informal feedback received so far suggest that the practitioners used the findings as part of their daily work and it is very important to highlight that as a primary outcome. All partner institutions have projects that deal with real-life heritage management and interpretation projects (consultancy work, development of heritage management plans or conservation management plans, assistance with the museum development and interpretation, collaborations with the major international organisations such as UNESCO and advisory role with regional and national governments). The findings contributed directly to those activities of the partner institutions. It improved their awareness of diversity of approaches to defining the values of heritage, and brought new perspectives to their collaborations.
First Year Of Impact 2010
Sector Creative Economy,Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural

Societal

Economic

Policy & public services
 
Description Expert Meeting "Management of the World Heritage Properties in Modern Urban Context in Central Asia" 
Organisation IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
Country Netherlands 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Dr Gai Jorayev from UCL (the lead partner of the Heritage Values Network project) collaborated closely with UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office in planning, organising and executing the workshop. It is very likely that the similar workshops will be organised in the future in collaboration with UNESCO and the findings of the Heritage Values Project will be used in those collaborative initiatives.
Collaborator Contribution UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office in close cooperation with the National Commission of Kyrgyzstan for UNESCO and the National Historical-Archaeological Museum Complex Sulaiman-Too (a World Heritage Site) raised funds and organised the workshop.
Impact This collaboration resulted in close links between the Central Asian heritage managers and the European centre of research. The knowledge that the partners gained during the Heritage Values Network project was of high relevance and value in this workshop. List of recommendations adopted during the Expert Meeting "Management of the World Heritage Properties in Modern Urban Context in Central Asia" was also widely distributed after the meeting in Central Asian region.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Excursion to the Ekeberg Park. Heritage, conflicts and nature-culture relationships. Organised by the R&D project Heritage as Eco-System Service, The Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Norway 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Guttormsen, T.S. (2014). Excursion to the Ekeberg Park. Heritage, conflicts and nature-culture relationships. Organised by the R&D project Heritage as Eco-System Service, The Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Norway, Oslo November 11 2014.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014
 
Description Excursion to the Ekeberg Park. Uses of heritage in urban park landscapes. Conference III, Landscape as Community, JPI CHeriScape (Cultural heritage in landscape) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Guttormsen, T.S. & Taylor, J. (2015) Excursion to the Ekeberg Park. Uses of heritage in urban park landscapes. Conference III, Landscape as Community, JPI CHeriScape (Cultural heritage in landscape), Oslo May 20 2015.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Session 063 Urban heritage: Critical theoretical and methodological perspectives 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Session 063 Urban heritage: Critical theoretical and methodological perspectives, organized by Kalliopi Fouseki, Torgrim Sneve Guttormsen and Grete Swensen. ACHS Conference Montreal , Canada 3-8 June 2016.
All organisers are the key members of heritage values Network project and this session is one of the direct outcomes of the project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL https://achs2016.uqam.ca/en/sessions.html#session-063-urban-heritage-critical-theoretical-and-method...