Curating Sustainable URBAn Transformations through HERItage

An overarching goal of the CURBATHERI project is to examine how heritage-led urban regeneration contribute to social sustainable and resilient cities by including participatory planning and environmental concerns related to sustainable living of communities. We have introduced the concept of 'deep cities' as a concept for examining sustainability based on the characteristic feature of the deep history of cities. We do that by emphasizing heritage values associated with the constantly changing character of cities - processes of urban transformation - and the creative destruction and recreation that uncovers a layered and fragmented past, for being implemented in ways of creating socially sustainable urban environments. Based on this framework, CURBATHERI has developed a toolbox that enables reflexive and deliberative management processes and enhances social inclusion through digital technologies for the co-production of broader values associated with urban heritage (see https://www.deepcities-toolbox.unifi.it/index.html). The toolbox will act as an interactive tool for dialogue and negotiation on what should be preserved and integrated into contemporary and future urban plans. Dissemination in the project includes the establishment of a website - https://curbatheri.niku.no/ (see also https://www.heritageresearch-hub.eu/project/curbatheri/) - where both the researchers and urban stakeholders (heritage managers, urban planners ) in the project have written blogs about the project's issues and themes related to urban sustainable development through heritage. The project also has its own Instagram page (#deepcities).

CURBATHERI-Deep Cities has demonstrated with empirical research innovative uses of digital technologies, such as those of social media, for the design of sustainable cities through the uses of heritage. The project has launched a toolbox that enables reflexive and deliberative management processes and enhances social inclusion through digital technologies for the co-production of broader values associated with urban heritage. In effect, the toolbox intends to be an interactive tool for dialogue and negotiation on what should be preserved and integrated into contemporary and future urban plans. It is expected to enhance the leveraging character of heritage in urban management systems in a culturally diverse Europe. The expected impacts of the CURBATHERI-Deep Cities are: Expected technological impact of the project: - Contributing in developing new participatory methodological model with the use of a combination of online and offline sources. - Contributing in developing digital visualization technologies & cross-cutting transnational platform for local European managers and communities, tools effective for future urban planning processes. Expected economic impact of the project: - Contributing in creating more efficient planning processes saving time and money. Expected socio-cultural and institutional (political) impact of the project: - Contributing in linking theory with practice for achieving social (and cultural) sustainability through people-centered participatory methodologies and a new conceptual model integrating a social just perspective in urban planning. - Contributing in improving management practices. - Creating guidelines and recommendations to EU conservation policy and local management bureaucracies for future pan-European policymaking. - Creating stable dialogues between stakeholders with solutions that promote predictable planning processes. - Promoting awareness of wider societal implications of urban processes of transformation and placemaking through heritage and efforts involving a diversity of stakeholders and users.

Kulturarv i dagens byer er i stor grad et produkt av transformasjon og tilpasning over tid. Denne kulturarven er ofte representert ved fragmenterte spor fra forskjellig tid. Formålet med CUBRATHERI-prosjektet er å utvikle et forvaltningsverktøy for planleggere og beslutningstakere som bidrar til en bedre forståelse av hvordan historisk endring kan håndteres i byutvikling. Prosjektet tar utgangspunkt i at sporene etter historien utgjør verdier som gjennom bevaring og tilrettelegging kan bidra med å skape en bærekraftig byutvikling. Rammen for arbeidet er begrepet «Den dype byen», et konsept relatert til «den grønne byen» og «den smarte byen», hvor de historiske lagene fra forskjellig tid og endringshistorie er de sentrale verdiene. En hovedutfordring er å finne frem til et fleksibelt metodisk forvaltningsverktøy som kan brukes i planleggingsprosesser der mange aktører er involvert i byplanleggingen. I prosjektet har vi en ambisjon om å utvikle et planleggingsverktøy og en fremgangsmåte for forvaltning av fragmentert kulturarv som inkluderer både et medvirkningsperspektiv og en digital plattform for dialog og samhandling. Resultatene av forskningen vil kunne anvendes i fremtidig byplanlegging der fragmentert kulturarv kan inngå i ny design og utvikling av byens plasser og rom. Prosjektet vil stimulere til dialog og refleksjon over mulighetsrommet ved de forskjellige måtene å forvalte historisk endring i byplanleggingen. Resultatet av prosjektet vil skape et grunnlag for å gjøre faglige bevisste valg i planprosessene. Målet er at planleggere og forvaltere skal gjøre etterprøvbare faglige bevisste valg i planprosessene, og skape en forutsigbar og klar forvaltningsstrategi og -praksis, der fragmentert kulturarv inngår i en bærekraftig byutvikling.