Assessment of cultural heritage in the town of Shumen by the locals and intentions to contribute to its development

Abstract

The study aims to reveal the assessment ofsome sites of cultural heritage in the town of Shumen by locals, the perceived contribution of these sites to the city development, and the intentions of citizens to contribute to their preservation. It is based on the Place standard methodology. The data are obtained through a standardized questionnaire of 510 residents. The results show that the local people are proud of the cultural heritage sites in their town. They indicate also some weaknesses related to the organization of visits and access to these sites, on the basis of which the relevant recommendations are proposed.

References:

Bandarin, F., & Van Oers, R. (2012). The Historic Urban Landscape Managing Heritage in an Urban Century. John Wiley and Sons.

Bertacchini, E., Santagata, W., & Signorello, G. (2011). Individual Giving to Support Cultural Heritage. International Journal of Arts Management, Vol. 13, Issue 3, 41-55.

Capello, R., Cerisola, S., & Perucca, G. (2019). Cultural Heritage, Creativity, and Local Development: A Scientific Research Program. In: S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development, Springer Open, 11-19.

Chirikure, S., Munyaradzi, M., Webber, N., & Pwiti, G. (2010). Unfulfilled Promises? Heritage Management and Community Participation at some of Africa’s Cultural Heritage Sites. International Journal of Heritage Studies, Vol. 16, Issue 1-2, 30-44.

Yung, E. H.K., & Chan, E. H.W. (2015). Evaluation of the Social Values and Willingness to Pay for Conserving Built Heritage in Hong Kong. Facilities, Vol. 33, No 1/2, 76-98.

Gunjić, L. (2017). Local Perceptions of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development – Case study Bač, Serbia. Ge-conservacion, Vol. 11: Special Issue Yococu 2016, 57-62.

Jureniene, V., & Radzevicius, M. (2014). Models of Cultural Heritage Management. Transformations in Business & Economics, Vol. 13, No 2 (32), 236-256.

Lusiani, M., & Zan, L. (2013). Planning and Heritage. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 3, Issue 2, 108-115.

Musialik, W., & Malik, K. (2020). The Analysis of Cultural Heritage Assets as a Potential for Local Development: Study of the Academic Environment. European Research Studies Journal, Vol. XXIII, Issue 3, 172-184.

Necissa, Y. (2011). Cultural Heritage as a Resource: its Role in the Sustainability of Urban Developments. The Case of Tlemcen, Algeria. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 21, 874 – 882.

Nijkamp, P., & Riganti, P. (2008). Assessing Cultural Heritage Benefits for Urban Sustainable Development. International Journal of Services Technology and Management, Vol. 10, No. 1, 29–38.

O’Hare, D. (1999). Making Heritage in an Australian Coastal Tourist Resort: Constructing a Cultural Landscape through a Comparative Narrative. International Journal of Heritage Studies, Vol. 5, Issue 2, 82-95.

Ostanel, E. (2017). Urban Regeneration and Social Innovation: The Role of Community-based Organisations in the Railway Station area in Padua, Italy. Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, Vol. 11, No 1, 79-91.

Otero, E. (2013). Final Evaluation of ‘Mobilization of the Dahshour World Heritage Site for Community Development‘. New York: MDG Achievement Fund. Retrieved from http://www.mdgfund.org/sites/default/files/Egypt%20-%20Culture%20-%20Final%20Evaluation%20Report.pdf (accessed April 11, 2022).

Paskaleva, K., & Besson, E. (2006). Integrated Management of Urban Cultural Tourism in European Small and Mid-sized Cities: A Governance Approach. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 97, 59-69.

Place Standard Guide. Retrieved from https://www.placestandard.scot/guide/full (accessed 21 December 2021).

Shaw, S., Bennett, R., & Kottasz, R. (2021). Making Space for Co-creation: Heritage Attractions that Host Contemporary Art. International Journal of Heritage Studies, Vol. 27, Issue 9, 869-883.

Silberman, N. A. (2013). Discourses of Development: Narratives of Cultural Heritage as an Economic Resource. In: Russell Staif, Robyn Bushell & Steve Watson (eds.). Heritage and Tourism: Place, Encounter, Engagement, London: Routledge, 213-225.

Taylor, K. (2018). Connecting Concepts of Cultural Landscape and Historic Urban Landscape: The Politics of Similarity. Built Heritage, Vol. 2, 53-67. https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03545710

Terzić, A., Joviĉić, A., & Simeunović-Bajić, N. (2014). Community Role in Heritage Management and Sustainable Tourism Development: Case study of the Danube Region in Serbia. Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, Special Issue, 183-201.

Turner, M., & Singer, R. (2015). Researching and Mapping the Historic Urban Landscape. In: Francesco Bandarin and Ron van Oers (Eds.), Reconnecting the City. The Historic Urban Landscape Approach and the Future of Urban Heritage. West Sussex, Wiley Blackwell, 301-313.

UNESCO (2019). The UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape. Report of the Second Consultation on its Implementation by Member States. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org/en/hul/ (accessed 4 April 2022).

Zhang, Y., Xiong, Y., Lee, T. J., Ye, M., & Nunkoo, R. (2021). Socio-Cultural Sustainability and the Formation of Social Capital from Community-based Tourism. Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 60, Issue 3, 656-669.