Local councils play a critical role in heritage conservation, acting as the stewards of our historic urban places. However, traditional approaches that focus solely on architectural and historical significance often miss a crucial element—the emotional connections people have with these spaces. “People-Centred Methodologies for Heritage Conservation: Exploring Emotional Attachments to Historic Urban Places,” edited by Rebecca Madgin and James Lesh, sheds light on the importance of these emotional attachments, providing a framework that local councils can adopt to make heritage conservation more inclusive and community-focused.

Why Local Councils Should Consider People-Centred Conservation

Local councils are often on the front lines of heritage conservation decisions, managing planning applications, community consultations, and development proposals that impact historic places. People-centred conservation approaches recognise that heritage is not just about preserving the physical aspects of buildings but also about understanding the emotional and social values that communities attach to these spaces. By integrating people-centred methodologies, councils can make better, more informed decisions that reflect the true value of urban places to the people who live, work, and play there.

Key Insights and Tools for Local Councils

1. Emotional Mapping: Capturing Community Values
   Emotional mapping is a powerful tool that councils can use to better understand how residents feel about specific urban spaces. By engaging with the community through workshops, interviews, and digital mapping exercises, councils can visually represent the emotional landscape of an area. This process helps identify places of social significance that might not be immediately apparent through traditional heritage assessments, enabling councils to make decisions that truly reflect community values.
2. Memory and Place: Preserving More Than Just Buildings
   Historic urban areas often hold deep personal and collective memories that define community identity. Local parks, old shopfronts, and iconic landmarks are more than just physical structures; they are repositories of stories and experiences. Councils that acknowledge these emotional attachments can create more holistic heritage strategies that honour not just the architectural value but also the living heritage of a place.
3. Community Engagement: Moving Beyond Consultation
   People-centred conservation is not just about asking communities for their opinions—it’s about actively involving them in the decision-making process. Councils can facilitate participatory workshops, storytelling sessions, and co-creation opportunities where residents can voice what matters to them. This approach ensures that heritage strategies are co-designed with the community, fostering a stronger sense of ownership and responsibility for local heritage sites.
4. Balancing Emotional and Material Conservation
   Councils often face the challenge of balancing the need to preserve historical integrity with the evolving needs of the community. People-centred methodologies encourage councils to consider adaptive reuse and flexible conservation strategies that accommodate both material preservation and emotional value. This might mean adapting a heritage building to serve a new community purpose or incorporating modern design elements that reflect local memories and identities.

Practical Steps for Local Councils

For councils looking to incorporate people-centred methodologies into their heritage conservation strategies, here are some practical steps:

• Listen and Learn from the Community: Start by actively listening to the community to understand the spaces that matter most to them and why. Use surveys, workshops, and direct outreach to gather diverse perspectives, especially from groups that might not typically engage in heritage discussions.
• Use Emotional Mapping Tools: Incorporate emotional mapping techniques into your planning processes to capture the often-overlooked social and emotional dimensions of urban spaces. These insights can guide planning decisions and help prioritise conservation efforts.
• Promote Co-Creation in Heritage Projects: Encourage collaborative design processes where community members, heritage professionals, and council planners work together to shape the future of historic spaces. Co-creation leads to outcomes that reflect shared values and aspirations, making heritage conservation more relevant and meaningful.
• Adapt Policies to Reflect Community Values: Update heritage policies and planning guidelines to incorporate social and emotional values alongside traditional criteria. This might involve expanding heritage assessments to include emotional significance or creating new categories of protection that recognise the importance of lived experience.

Why This Approach Benefits Local Councils

Adopting people-centred methodologies in heritage conservation can significantly benefit local councils. It helps build stronger connections between the council and the community, fostering trust and engagement. By recognising the emotional attachments people have to places, councils can make heritage decisions that are more responsive to local needs, ultimately leading to more vibrant, resilient, and sustainable urban environments.

Moreover, this approach can enhance the council’s reputation as a forward-thinking body that values not just the physical fabric of its cities and towns but also the lived experiences of its residents. People-centred conservation aligns with broader goals of community well-being, social inclusion, and sustainable development, positioning local councils as leaders in creating places that people are proud to call home.

A Call to Action for Local Councils

“People-Centred Methodologies for Heritage Conservation: Exploring Emotional Attachments to Historic Urban Places” offers an invaluable perspective that local councils can adopt to enrich their approach to heritage conservation. By putting people at the heart of conservation, councils can ensure that historic urban places continue to resonate with current and future generations, preserving not just the past but also the emotional fabric of their communities.

In embracing this approach, local councils can move beyond the role of regulators to become true custodians of community heritage, celebrating the complex, layered, and deeply personal relationships people have with the places they call home.

Expertise in Heritage and Community Consultation

At S2 Architects, we specialise in blending heritage expertise with effective community consultation to deliver outstanding results. Our approach ensures that heritage projects not only respect and preserve the historical and architectural significance of places but also resonate deeply with the communities they serve. By integrating people-centred methodologies, we help local councils achieve meaningful outcomes that enhance both the value and relevance of their heritage sites.

For a collaborative approach to heritage conservation that puts community values at the forefront, contact S2 Architects today. Let us help you turn your heritage projects into success stories that benefit both your community and its treasured places.