Sustainable heritage management: social, economic and other potentials of culture in local development

Heritage has different developmental potentials that might contribute to the sustainable development of a given area. In terms of sustainable development these potentials are not necessarily economic, but also include social, environmental or cultural aspects. However, heritage by itself rarely holds tangible benefits if it is not properly managed. The key challenge for attaining sustainability is to focus management on a participatory approach, which ensures public participation in the process. The paper argues that a successful and effective management of heritage depends on the people, who must be able to 1) identify the appropriate heritage, 2) link it with key stakeholders and other topics, 3) design it into a proper service, and finally 4) sell the new service to users. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.