Industrial heritage and conservation planning, changing governance practices, examples from Europe

In this chapter, we will discuss some of the results of the project ‘The impact of urban planning and governance reform on the historic built environment and intangible cultural heritage’ (PICH). In this project, our aim was to examine the complex structure of policies, processes, practices and people that is driving decision-making for the historic environment in the Netherlands, England, Italy and Norway. The research consisted of 12 in-depth case studies, using policy analysis, documentary research, expert interviews and street interviews with visitors and residents. We looked at three settings: historic urban cores, former industrial areas and the urban landscape across these four countries (Nadin et al. 2018). By analysing a variety of localities across Europe, we sought to further the understanding of how changes to urban governance are influencing heritage management across Europe. By taking a governance perspective, the aim is to draw attention to the limitations of the formal organization of government and its planning policies and heritage protection mechanisms.