Gentrification and touristification in urban heritage preservation: threats and opportunities

Abstract

his paper discusses several processes of the "Society of Culture", with a specific focus on recent urban development, and including dynamics of gentrification, touristification, segregation and their implications for the preservation of urban heritage. While cultural values exist on multiple levels - intrinsically artistic, social, and economic - it is the economic ones that have become dominant and predatory in recent decades. Through the analysis of international data on urbanism and tourism, we explore the role and value of urban heritage in European cities. Drawing from a literature review of the different thematic areas, taking into account relevant references from each one of them to establish an interrelated analysis, we try to argue why considering heritage-led tourist gentrification is urgent, what do we know so far, and some possible future lines of research that could contribute to a better understanding of these processes.