Community empowerment for cultural heritage management. From principles to practice

Over time, depending on social, historical and related causes, different approaches to heritage management emerged. The article intends to explore aspects related to the living heritage approach, which considers cultural heritage as an integral part of the life of the community in which it is embedded, in terms of identity, well-being and a sense of heritage ownership and care. To address these issues, the article has explored two case studies that show how heritage organisations are turning this heritage management principles into practice. The first one, Rolli Lab promoted by theUNESCO Office of the Municipality of Genoa enhances the impact of the World Heritage Site designation through innovative ideas in line with the Management Plan 2020/2024 and the Agenda 2030. The second case study concerns the city of Izmir in Turkey, on Turkey’s Tentative List, and analyses activities for strengthening stakeholder engagement that were carried out in the framework of the Heritage Alive project.