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Paper short abstract:

Introducing case studies from Iceland, the paper discusses how ethnographic understanding of emotional engagement and attachment to historic sites and urban heritage is essential to community participation in decision-making on the safeguarding of cultural heritage.

Paper long abstract:

People form different attachments to urban environment that is seen to embody the past or commonly regarded as heritage. Such engagements are considered to be foundational for a sense of belonging and community, and can thus be regarded as the very reason why heritage matters and needs to be safeguarded. However, such subjective issues tend to be ill suited to fit the ways urban areas are managed. Both cultural heritage management and urban planning are highly regulated fields where authorities and specialists dominate decision-making processes. But how do authorities attempt to incorporate the different attachment and engagement that people form with the urban landscape and cultural heritage into their administrative processes?

The paper introduces an ongoing doctoral research project examining participation with respect to safeguarding cultural heritage of the urban environment. Two different cases from Iceland are examined by way of in-depth interviews and observational fieldwork identifying different perspectives and values people attach to urban heritage. The project also analyses the legal framework around cultural heritage as well as the approaches that authorities take to identify and interpret cultural heritage and its safeguarding.

Drawing on the cases the paper addresses to what extent authorities have succeeded in facilitating community dialog and involvement regarding safeguarding of urban heritage. In conclusion, the paper argues that an ethnographically informed understanding of how people engage with and attach meaning to urban heritage is imperative for enhancing participatory model in heritage management, designed to attract and facilitate participation from communities in negotiating the urban landscape.