Cultural Heritage, Sustainability, Conservation, and Social Welfare. A Management Plan for the Historic Municipal Buildings of Seville (Andalusia, Spain)

Abstract

Significant international forums and programmes, particularly the 2016 United Nations Conference Habitat III and the Horizon Europe, emphasise the need to address heritage management planning in cities from a comprehensive and inclusive perspective in balance with environmental issues. Accordingly, this research develops crosscutting, alternative, and sustainable strategies for the design of a management process for municipal heritage assets in historical cities, which have been implemented in the city of Seville (the Management Plan for Heritage Municipal Buildings of Seville). This plan, finally approved in 2022, involves 130 symbolic buildings of which one third are either under-utilised or abandoned. The research focuses on the design of the developed methodology and presents the resulting 9 management programmes with 30 action lines created for the organisation of these heritage sites into a comprehensive system. Seville’s municipal built heritage plan implies the involvement of academics and researchers from a wide range of disciplines, public agents, and local actors who can guarantee a sustainable process and integrated governance in the future. In conclusion, the research shows an innovative design process for cultural heritage management based on the premise that such buildings are resources for contemporary local development and for a better quality of life.