Sustainable and Resilient Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) in Remote Mediterranean Islands: A Methodological Framework

The impacts of mass tourism and COVID-19 crisis demonstrate the need for healthy, peaceful, and authentic recreation options, giving prominence to emerging destinations, such as remote Mediterranean islands. These, although endowed with exquisite land and underwater cultural heritage (UCH), are confronted with insularity drawbacks. However, the exceptional land and especially UCH, and the alternative tourism forms these can sustain, e.g., diving tourism, are highly acknowledged. The focus of this paper is on the power of participation and participatory planning in pursuing UCH preservation and sustainable management as a means for heritage-led local development in remote insular regions. Towards this end, the linkages between participation and (U)CH management from a policy perspective—i.e., the global and European policy scenery—and a conceptual one—cultural heritage cycle vs. planning cycle—are firstly explored. These, coupled with the potential offered by ICT-enabled participation, establish a framework for respective participatory cultural planning studies. This framework is validated in Leros Island, Greece, based on previous research conducted in this distinguishable insular territory and WWII battlefield scenery. The policy and conceptual considerations of this work, enriched by Leros evidence-based results, set the ground for featuring new, qualitative and extrovert, human-centric and heritage-led, developmental trails in remote insular communities.

From Preservation to Reuse. Seeing Possible Futures

Appreciation of heritage by Scotland’s communities has been inextricably linked with activism since the 1970s . Since then, European artists and local cultural producers have campaigned for future spaces and places that respect local histories, identities and heritage. In parallel, a polarisation within the arts, culture and heritage establishments has downgraded socially engaged practices: collapsing arts development and heritage preservation with cultural planning. In Glasgow, local people have fought a decade-long campaign to save A-listed dry docks, Govan’s Graving Docks. We argue that the politics around saving the docks are superficially incontestable as a local community aspires to preserve an important heritage asset linked to their own cultural memory and pride. Moving beyond heritage preservation is more problematic. Post-industrial heritage is vulnerable to developer-led homogenisation and subsequently, gentrification. Artists, researchers and activists who, in good faith work with communities, fueling their aspirations and alternative visions for heritage futures, are in danger of becoming a part of the problem. We unpack some of the problems posed by the politics of power and ownership, exploring networks and new business models as keys to advancing a new paradigm for the future of heritage.

Section 37 & the creative city: how density bonuses have secured cultural benefits in the city of Toronto

Section 37 of the Planning Act authorizes Ontario municipalities to permit developments to achieve greater height and density than otherwise allowed in exchange for community benefits. Although land use planners rarely take a leading role in arts policy discussions, this planning tool has been identified as an important opportunity to support and grow Toronto’s arts and culture sector. This research project investigates how Section 37 agreements have been used to secure spaces for cultural production and dissemination in the City of Toronto. A mixed-methods approach is used to quantify these benefits and their distribution throughout the city, and to probe the experiences of cultural organizations in order to better understand who and what is relied upon to build new cultural spaces. The study concludes that land use planners must reinvent their approach to cultural planning and make proactive use of planning tools in order to support Toronto’s creative city goals.

Section 37 & the creative city: how density bonuses have secured cultural benefits in the city of Toronto

Section 37 of the Planning Act authorizes Ontario municipalities to permit developments to achieve greater height and density than otherwise allowed in exchange for community benefits. Although land use planners rarely take a leading role in arts policy discussions, this planning tool has been identified as an important opportunity to support and grow Toronto’s arts and culture sector. This research project investigates how Section 37 agreements have been used to secure spaces for cultural production and dissemination in the City of Toronto. A mixed-methods approach is used to quantify these benefits and their distribution throughout the city, and to probe the experiences of cultural organizations in order to better understand who and what is relied upon to build new cultural spaces. The study concludes that land use planners must reinvent their approach to cultural planning and make proactive use of planning tools in order to support Toronto’s creative city goals.