Heritage Counts

The idea of heritage as a “capital of irreplaceable cultural, social and economic value”was already present in the European Charter of the Architectural Heritage, adoptedby the Council of Europe in 1975 (par.3). Today, this discourse is getting increasingattention on the research agenda. Some argue that, although heritage is always valuedhighly, the current interest in the impact of heritage is caused by the democratisation ofheritage and the increased importance of heritage in today’s society. Others argue thata universal scarcity of funds for heritage management and conservation is the reasonto give it its proper attention.

Therefore, the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (Universityof Leuven) considered “Heritage Counts” a relevant and timely topic for its yearlyinternational conference, the “thematic week”. This edition twins with the “CulturalHeritage Counts for Europe” project, funded by the EU Culture Programme. The openingday of the conference was co-organised by the lead partner of this project, EUROPANOSTRA, and brought together European policymakers and international researchersinvolved in cultural heritage.

This volume specifically reports on the lectures and fruitful debates on heritage impactduring the 2015 thematic week. It was observed that evolutions in discourse and policyhold a significant prospect, which also entail an increasing demand for shared insightsand formation. In response, this publication reflects on heritage impact by providingresearch, case studies and reflections that can serve as baseline records, guidance -and hopefully inspiration. The findings are subdivided in three main chapters: “Framingthe paradigm”, “Impact assessments: research, methods and practice” and “Linkingmanagement, conservation and sustainable development”.