Documenting Impact Heritage-led regeneration sits squarely at a unique nexus to achieve positive environmental, economic, and social outcomes as defined most recently in the 2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2016 New Urban AgendaHabitat III. The fact that the field straddles diverse sectors has, however, impeded its recognition as mainstream sustainable development practice. Lacking a recognized framework and tools to measure impact (like those in place for poverty alleviation, carbon reduction, health, etc.), heritage-led regeneration projects have had limited access to growing capital markets seeking impact/ESG results.
While heritage conservation is most notably aligned with SDG 11 target 11.4—to “strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage”—many of the other 17 goals are relevant. Across the case studies presented in this paper, CHiFA found major outcomes for SDG 4, 8, 11, 12, and 13, as well as specific projects that have achieved goals in Poverty Alleviation (1), Infrastructure (9), Reduced Inequities (10), and Global Partnership (17).
The evolving science of sustainable design reinforces the opportunity to achieve positive impacts through heritage-led regeneration projects. Internationally recognized standards for measuring carbon across the entire lifecycle of structures, from construction through operation and recycling, are now being developed and applied as mandates to the building industry. Conserving heritage structures avoids more than 50% of the embodied carbon of a new building and represents an important contribution to Net Zero targets. Institutional investors, REITS, asset managers, and insurers should find these facts compelling. Communicating the environmental benefits of heritage conservation to prospective stakeholders will be key.
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