World heritage and local planning interactions

The culture and nature division within the UNESCO World Heritage framework has ignited extensive discussions about the role of World Heritage governance in heritage conservation, development, and spatial planning, particularly emphasizing the problematic separation between cultural heritage and environmental interactions. Drawing on theoretical reflections about social-institutionalist theories and insights that encourage exploring heritage through human and environmental relationships, this thesis highlights how connections among people, places, and the environment are essential to the changes and evolution of the World Heritage institutional framework. In this context, the thesis adopts the research framework proposed by Servillo and Van den Broeck on the social construction of spatial planning systems as a lens to examine the interactions shaping World Heritage governance, planning, and local management contexts. Therefore, it defines World Heritage and Local Planning Interactions as inputs to explore how culture-nature-people connections underpin the changes and evolution of the World Heritage structure and agency. /// This thesis employs a qualitative case study research approach to examine the World Heritage sites in Mantua and Sabbioneta, Matera, and Val di Noto, aiming to identify the processes through which World Heritage shapes and is shaped by spatial planning. It discusses the collaborative interactions between World Heritage governance and local actors, emphasizing the challenges and opportunities for World Heritage management and community engagement. Furthermore, the examination of these interactions provides insights into the collaborative potential of World Heritage sites as human-environmental frameworks, going beyond political interests in tourism-driven growth within World Heritage cities. Ultimately, this research contributes to the literature on the relationships between heritage and planning by advocating for reflexive, context-sensitive, and locally grounded approaches to World Heritage governance and local action.