Understanding the Quadruple Flutes of Teotihuacan, Mexico

This paper presents the results of a study on the quadruple flutes (multiple pipes) from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Teotihuacan, Mexico, based on a thorough examination of the fragmented, restored and partly reconstructed archaeological finds and the manufacture and subsequent test of a series of playable reproductions with a refined reconstructive design. For the latter, organological features, such as the diameter, number and position of the fingerholes/tone holes and the length of the individual pipes of the restored finds are challenged and a new design is proposed that might be closer to the original construction of the Teotihuacan instruments. The study reveals a better understanding of the particular construction, acoustics and musical possibilities of the Teotihuacan quadruple flutes.

Stakeholders' consciousness of cultural heritage and the reconciliation of different needs for sustainable development

PurposeThe paper aims to investigate the approach and tools adopted by an Italian city, included amongst the UNESCO World Heritage sites (WHS), to involve different stakeholders in the protection and valorisation of its historical centre to achieve the goals of sustainable development. The paper focusses on the role of local authorities as the key actors that should engage different city users to jointly achieve heritage conservation and socio-economic development.Design/methodology/approachData were collected, thanks to the researchers' direct participation in a project launched by the municipality of Urbino, which involved several local stakeholders and lasted about a year. Participant observation allowed the authors to collect informal interviews, join collective discussions and reflect on the direct observation of the activities undertaken.FindingsThe case study analysed suggests how participatory governance may be effective in fostering responsible principles in “asset usage” by any type of city users and how citizens actively co-design and co-implement initiatives of heritage revitalisation when engaged in cultural heritage (CH) policies.Originality/valueThe paper addresses a long-standing problem that has never been solved: how to enhance the consciousness of the CH amongst stakeholders and reconcile their different and conflicting needs in the historical urban environment in the process of revitalisation.

Cultural Heritage and Digitalization in City Branding

In today's competitive global environment, cities are striving to stand out and be attractive to investors, visitors, and residents. City branding is an important tool to differentiate the city from its competitors and to be preferred by visitors. Every city has its own characteristics resulting from its historical development, the influence of its geography, and its social, cultural, and economic past. Therefore, the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of cities is vital for their promotion and branding. This study aims to show the importance of their cultural heritage, which is the most fundamental feature to differentiate themselves from their competitors in city branding. It is emphasized that the cultural events organized in cities or the assets specific to cities, most of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, have a significant impact on city branding. In addition, the chapter explains the impact of digitalization, which is one of the most important developments of our time, on city branding and cultural heritage.

Integrating Big Data to Smart Destination Heritage Management

New technological requirements and needs of today's world are forcing cities to transform into smart cities and smart destinations in tourism cases. Smart destinations are focused on enhancing the tourist experience while also supporting the decision-making process, sustaining effective usage of resources, and maintaining sustainability. Big data has started to act as a reliable resource that assists these processes and offers alternative solution methods. Improvements in the usage of big data within the framework of smart destination management systems will also provide new insights and understandings about heritage sites and their management. Istanbul and the Sultanahmet region, which were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, form the main domain of this chapter. This research aims to reveal any significant differences between Istanbul Wi-Fi data, Sultanahmet Wi-Fi data, and Istanbul Arrivals data. Kruskal-Wallis Test was conducted for comparing these data sets for 28 countries, and recommendations are presented.

The Potential Role of Ecoacoustics in the Study of the Coffee Natural Landscape of Colombia

In 2011, the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia (CCLC) was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Several studies have been undertaken to increase its knowledge and promote its conservation and sustainable development; however, there still exists a gap between the knowledge of the visible features of this landscape and the audible ones, which are associated to anthropophonic, geophonic, and, mainly, to biophonic sound-emitting sources. The perception or recording of the audible features in a place has been recently termed as soundscape and is studied by a relatively novel discipline known as ecoacoustics. This chapter is, therefore, aimed to discuss the potential opportunities and challenges of applying ecoacoustic methods—particularly non-negative matrix factorization and acoustic indices—to enrich the study of the CCLC. Essential concepts for both the CCLC and ecoacoustics are also briefly explained, along with an outline of future work directions in short- and long-term perspectives.

POST-CONSERVATION EVALUATION (PCE) ON HISTORIC BUILDINGS: AUTHENTICITY OF ADAPTIVE REUSE MUSEUMS IN GEORGE TOWN, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Adaptive reuse has apparently become a favourable means of built heritage conservation in the UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) of Melaka and George Town. In most cases, adaptive reuse implementations inflict conflicting demands to historic buildings in terms of meeting new functional needs and retaining physical authenticity. Inappropriate implementation of adaptive reuse for historic buildings within WHS may result in the violation of Outstanding Universal Values (OUVs). The purpose of this study is to determine the authenticity condition of historic buildings on their post-conservation phase, after adaptive reuse implementation. Five historic buildings namely the Penang State Museum (PSM), Made in Penang Interactive Museum (MIPIM), Sun Yat Sen Museum (SYSM), Batik Painting Museum (BPM) and Dark Mansion-3D Glow in the Dark Museum (DM) were evaluated through field observation. In accommodating the museum function, three elements were found to be intervened inappropriately at these buildings namely the internal wall, windows, and building services. The findings of this evaluative study can be useful to technical review panels appointed by heritage authorities, in scrutinising heritage impact assessment (HIA) reports and evaluating future proposals concerning adaptive reuse projects of historic buildings within WHS.