Short answer
When designing for existing urban areas, actively seek to understand and incorporate the diverse, often unarticulated, heritage values held by the community, not just those recognized by official heritage designations.
- Field
- Classic Design
- Source
- Architecture and the Built Environment (2023)
- Method
- Qualitative research integrating attribute identification, stakeholder analysis, and scale-level examination through participatory methods.
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Understanding the perceived heritage significance of everyday architecture, beyond officially listed buildings, is crucial for sustainable development. This classic design research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in Architecture and the Built Environment. Using Qualitative research integrating attribute identification, stakeholder analysis, and scale-level examination through participatory methods., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing for existing urban areas, actively seek to understand and incorporate the diverse, often unarticulated, heritage values held by the community, not just those recognized by official heritage designations.
Everyday Heritage: Identifying Significance in Post-War Dutch Housing
Understanding the perceived heritage significance of everyday architecture, beyond officially listed buildings, is crucial for sustainable development.
Architecture and the Built Environment · 2023
Key Findings
- 01Heritage significance can be identified across tangible and intangible attribute categories at successive scale levels.
- 02Stakeholders attribute significance to both original and later-added/modified features, as well as to both specific and generic neighborhood attributes.
- 03Different stakeholder groups focus on distinct attribute categories and scale levels without necessarily disagreeing on assessments.
Application
Design takeaway
When designing for existing urban areas, actively seek to understand and incorporate the diverse, often unarticulated, heritage values held by the community, not just those recognized by official heritage designations.
How to apply
Before undertaking any renovation or redevelopment project in an established neighborhood, conduct community workshops and interviews to identify and understand the attributes residents value most, and integrate these findings into the design brief.
Project actions
- 01When researching existing buildings or spaces, consider what makes them 'special' to the people who use or live there, not just what official records say.
- 02Use methods like interviews, surveys, or focus groups to gather opinions from a range of users or stakeholders.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Utilizes participatory methods to capture diverse stakeholder perspectives.
- +Integrates tangible and intangible attributes into the concept of heritage.
- +Addresses a gap in understanding the heritage value of non-listed, everyday architecture.
Limitations
It can be challenging to capture the full range of intangible attributes, and stakeholder opinions might be influenced by personal biases or limited knowledge.
Reliability & validity
Reliability could be enhanced by using more standardized questioning across participants, while validity is strengthened by the triangulation of data from multiple stakeholders and participatory methods.
Think critically
To what extent can 'everyday heritage' be objectively measured, and how can designers balance potentially conflicting stakeholder perceptions of value?
Design Principles
"Embrace a holistic view of heritage, recognizing that significance resides not only in monumental structures but also in the everyday fabric of the built environment, as perceived by its users and inhabitants."
Designers and urban planners often focus on iconic or officially designated heritage sites, overlooking the cultural and historical value embedded in common, everyday structures. This research highlights that a broader definition of heritage, encompassing user-generated significance and intangible attributes, is essential for informed decision-making in urban renewal and development, preventing the loss of valuable cultural resources.
What This Means for Your Design
Even ordinary buildings have historical and cultural value that people care about, and this value is important when we decide how to change or update our towns and cities.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify the importance of considering user perceptions of heritage in your design project's context.
- 2.Cite this study when discussing the value of non-listed architecture or the need for community engagement in understanding existing environments.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research underscores the significance of 'everyday heritage,' suggesting that the perceived value of common architectural stock, beyond official designations, is a critical factor in sustainable development. By employing participatory methods to identify tangible and intangible attributes valued by diverse stakeholders, designers can gain a richer understanding of existing environments, leading to more culturally sensitive and contextually appropriate design interventions.
Source
Questions About This Research
- What does the research say about everyday heritage: identifying significance in post-war dutch housing?
- When designing for existing urban areas, actively seek to understand and incorporate the diverse, often unarticulated, heritage values held by the community, not just those recognized by official heritage designations. Evidence: Architecture and the Built Environment (2023).
- Why does "Everyday Heritage: Identifying Significance in Post-War Dutch Housing" matter for design?
- Designers and urban planners often focus on iconic or officially designated heritage sites, overlooking the cultural and historical value embedded in common, everyday structures. This research highlights that a broader definition of heritage, encompassing user-generated significance and intangible attributes, is essential for informed decision-making in urban renewal and development, preventing the loss of valuable cultural resources.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When designing for existing urban areas, actively seek to understand and incorporate the diverse, often unarticulated, heritage values held by the community, not just those recognized by official heritage designations.
- What were the main findings?
- Heritage significance can be identified across tangible and intangible attribute categories at successive scale levels.. Stakeholders attribute significance to both original and later-added/modified features, as well as to both specific and generic neighborhood attributes.. Different stakeholder groups focus on distinct attribute categories and scale levels without necessarily disagreeing on assessments.
- What research method was used?
- Qualitative research integrating attribute identification, stakeholder analysis, and scale-level examination through participatory methods..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2023 journal from Architecture and the Built Environment.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- Before undertaking any renovation or redevelopment project in an established neighborhood, conduct community workshops and interviews to identify and understand the attributes residents value most, and integrate these findings into the design brief.
- What are the limitations?
- The findings are specific to the case study locations and the 1965-1985 housing stock in The Netherlands; generalizability to other contexts or time periods may vary.