From World Heritage Policy Compendium and Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Management Plan 2017 – 2022
The World Heritage List is a list of cultural and natural heritage deemed to be of ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ as defined in the World Heritage Convention. It is established, updated and published by the World Heritage Committee and is drawn from national inventories, further to proposals for inscription made by the respective States Parties.
The Credibility of the List refers to it as a representative and geographically balanced testimony of cultural and natural properties of Outstanding Universal Value.
The Credibility theme includes policies related to the World Heritage List, such as nominations, Outstanding Universal Value, Tentative Lists, the Upstream Process, the Global Strategy or type of property and management among others.
Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 – 10 July 2019) say that each nominated property should have an appropriate management plan or other documented management system which must specify how the Outstanding Universal Value of a property should be preserved, preferably through participatory means, to ensure the effective protection of the nominated property for present and future generations.
An effective management system depends on the type, characteristics and needs of the nominated property and its cultural and natural context. Management systems may vary according to different cultural perspectives, the resources available and other factors. They may incorporate traditional practices, existing urban or regional planning instruments, and other planning control mechanisms, both formal and informal. Impact assessments for proposed interventions are essential for all World Heritage properties.
In recognizing the diversity mentioned above, common elements of an effective management system could include:
a) a thorough shared understanding of the property, its universal, national and local values and its socio-ecological context by all stakeholders, including local communities and indigenous peoples;
b) a respect for diversity, equity, gender equality and human rights and the use of inclusive and participatory planning and stakeholder consultation processes;
c) a cycle of planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and feedback;
d) an assessment of the vulnerabilities of the property to social, economic, environmental and other pressures and changes, including disasters and climate change, as well as the monitoring of the impacts of trends and proposed interventions;
e) the development of mechanisms for the involvement and coordination of the various activities between different partners and stakeholders;
f) the allocation of necessary resources;
g) capacity building;
h) an accountable, transparent description of how the management system functions.
One of the most interesting good practice about management plan it’s the 2018/22 Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns World Heritage Site Plan.
Edinburgh’s management plan includes – among all the required tools about governance and management – commitments to improve the quality of new development, better manage tourism growth, and deepen residents’ awareness and understanding of the site among other actions.
The historic area, which was inscribed by UNESCO in 1995, covers most of the City Centre from Quartermile to Dean Village and from the West End to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The new plan, which runs for five years, was intended to protect and manage the ‘outstanding universal value’ of the site. After an extensive public consultation exercise, the plan was written by the partners responsible for the management of the site: City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland.
Among the 39 actions is creating ‘place briefs’ for redevelopment sites to set out the city’s expectations in terms of quality and ‘fitting in’ with the historical context, as well as improving local community engagement and plans to better explain and engage residents and schoolchildren with what is special about the site. Recent research has revealed that public understanding is generally low – for example, only 8% of 16-24-year olds in Scotland are aware that Edinburgh’s New Town is part of a World Heritage Site. The Council recently granted the lease for the Tron Kirk on the High Street to Edinburgh World Heritage for use as a World Heritage Centre to help address this issue.
The plan also commits the city to better manage tourism growth and covers areas such as the profusion of short-term holiday lets, issues over street cleanliness, especially during peak tourism periods, and the need for a broader tourism plan which builds on sustainable best-practice from other historic cities.
Adam Wilkinson, former Director of Edinburgh World Heritage, during a World Heritage Lab in Florence in 2019 explained: ‘We believe that the city’s world heritage status should be a dynamic force that benefits everyone. There is clearly more work to make this a reality, for example to ensure young people are engaged with and understand our heritage. The new plan will help us to address this issue, among others which have been voiced by the public’.
One of the most appreciable features of the Management Plan is that it is available on line in a concise and clear version for citizens, so that the actions undertaken are clear, as well as the objectives set and those achieved.