Coming to Terms with Value: Heritage Policy in Vienna

Abstract

Built heritage forms a vital part of many cities’ building stock. It consists of historic buildings that are conserved for future generations because they are attributed with value. Despite this ascribed value, the conservation of heritage in an urban setting can create conflict with a city’s demands to develop. This paper first reviews the understanding of value within the heritage discourse and discusses extrinsic and intrinsic definitions. Then, using Vienna as an example, a Qualitative Content Analysis of texts from the disciplines of conservation, the law, building standards and city planning was undertaken. These texts form the basis for the city’s heritage policy, but as they are not harmonized, potential areas of conflict can arise. The findings show that the most striking difference lies in the definition of value, which some texts either define as being intrinsic or extrinsic. This difference in definition in the fundamental marker of heritage and the lack of coordination between various agents involved was identified as the main source of tension in Vienna’s heritage policy making. A unified, extrinsic definition of value would aid the efficient management of built heritage within an urban setting and allow for suitable development and maintenance of a historic city center as a sustainable living space.

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