Advancing Cultural Heritage Governance for Resilient Climate Adaptation

Project AGREE, led by the University of Leeds in the UK, focuses on addressing climate change impacts on cultural heritage through interdisciplinary methodologies and societal collaboration. The project aims to understand and respond to the complex relationship between cultural heritage governance, climate adaptation, and community resilience, particularly in urban areas affected by flooding. Key objectives include promoting the integration of cultural heritage preservation with climate adaptation strategies, particularly through the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) concept. AGREE develops a decision-making model grounded in the HUL paradigm, which compares current policies with historical data to inform urban resilience and adaptation efforts. AGREE seeks to advance transformative climate adaptation strategies by evaluating decision-makers understanding of these synergies. In addition to research, AGREE collaborates with partners such as Politecnico di Torino, ICCROM, the British Council, and local stakeholders like Hull City Council (UK) and Innlandet Region (Norway). Through these partnerships, AGREE aims to shape policies and strengthen climate strategies at multiple global and local levels. Moreover, AGREE engages the public in raising awareness about climate adaptation and mobilizing collective action. By involving communities in the process, AGREE ensures that cultural heritage remains protected and resilient in the face of climate change challenges. Overall, Project AGREE provides a practical approach to addressing climate change impacts on cultural heritage, emphasizing collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and community engagement to safeguard our shared heritage for future generations.

AGREE champions transformative sustainability in response, emphasizing interdisciplinary methodologies and societal shifts. It explores the intricate link between cultural heritage governance, climate adaptation, and community resilience, rooted in responses to flooding in urban contexts. AGREE promotes the Historic Urban Landscape concept for integrative decision-making in climate adaptation, considering community resilience amidst environmental changes. An interactive Geographic Information System platform will illuminate this interplay over time. An innovative AGREE's contribution is a decision-making model grounded in the HUL paradigm. This model juxtaposes current national and local policies enabling cultural heritage integration in climate adaptation with historical data sources revealing urban resilience lessons and changes in the built environment over time. AGREE employs transformative governance concepts to evaluate decision-makers comprehension of these synergies and their perspectives. It advances transformative climate adaptation by uncovering potentials and barriers within heritage governance in case studies from the UK, Norway, and Italy. Beyond research, AGREE will shape policies with multi-scalar and cross-sectorial governance, interpreting climate intricacies through cultural heritage. It will strengthen global, national, and local heritage-focused climate strategies through partnerships with the British Council, ICCROM, and the UK's Department for Culture, Media, and Sport and local stakeholders, such as Hull City Council (UK) and Innlandet Region (Norway). AGREE also engages the public, raising climate adaptation awareness and mobilizing collective action, benefiting governmental climate efforts.