Urban Cultural Heritage Governance

As a result of current urbanization dynamics the cultural heritage of Indian cities is under enormous pressure and threatened by decay. At the same time it makes a central contribution to social and societal identity of these cities and has a major influence both economically and aesthetically on the competitiveness of cities in international and national contexts. The responsibility for safeguarding urban cultural heritage, however, does not lie with public authorities only, but is embedded in the complex structures of public and private, individual and collective stakeholders acting at different levels with their respective interests. This study shows that social and professional discourses on urban cultural heritage and its protection highly influence conservation efforts. To overcome the sectoral perspective that dominates the existing research on urban cultural heritage in the Indian context, it draws on an analytical governance approach. This approach makes it possible to identify three governance orders and thus to make visible the interconnections between imagination, regulation and implementation.