Re-inventory-ing Heritage: Exploring the potential of public participation GIS to capture heritage values and dissonance

Project Information

REINVENT

Grant agreement ID: 705697

DOI

10.3030/705697

Project closed

EC signature date 31 March 2016

Start date 1 September 2016

End date 31 August 2018

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 175 866,00

EU contribution

€ 175 866,00

Coordinated by

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTH
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - REINVENT (Re-inventory-ing Heritage: Exploring the potential of public participation GIS to capture heritage values and dissonance)

Reporting period: 2016-09-01 to 2018-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

REINVENT critically addressed challenges pertaining to the management of heritage in contested cross-border contexts, with emphasis on the cultural landscape of North West Ireland centred on the city of Derry~Londonderry. In particular, the project sought to implement a GIS-based public participatory mapping methodology to capture the diverse values ascribed to cultural heritage by a range of communities at multiple spatial scales.

The project rationale stemmed from recognition of the multivalent and frequently contested nature of cultural heritage, the critical importance of elaborating participatory mechanisms to accommodate a plurality of heritage values, and the innovative capacity of digital mapping technology to integrate, visualise and monitor change in values over time.

Successfully embedding knowledge of such strategies and digital tools within local spatial planning and cultural heritage management networks ultimately enables better-informed decision-making and facilitates the mediation of contestation over heritage.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Several innovative digital public participatory mapping methods were deployed for the first time in the study region via two case studies elaborated at distinct spatial scales. This included an online map-based public survey of special places focused on the regional cross-border landscape, directly engaging several hundred members of the public. Secondly, an historic former military base and contested regeneration site in Derry~Londonderry was the focal point for GPS-tracked walking interviews exploring people’s sense of place in ‘post-conflict’ space. Significant methodological and empirical learning was derived from both cases, not least in evidencing the capacity for participatory mapping to capture citizen knowledge on cultural heritage in cross-border contexts.

The project harnessed multiple digital technologies, including online map-based survey tools and digital applications, social media to engage the public, and interactive GIS-based story maps to integrate scientific and ‘citizen science’ data, while narrating and visualising the research in compelling ways.

Knowledge exchange with policymakers and practitioners in North West Ireland was reinforced by several policy-praxis focused articles in widely-read professional and policy-oriented journals, including The Journal of Cross Border Studies in Ireland and Context. The policy space for public participatory mapping within the cross-border region has also been positively impacted and shaped by extensive engagement and dissemination activities throughout the project.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project resulted in the production of the REINVENT Project Mapping Viewer, encompassing the most significant cultural heritage inventories for this cross-border region, in addition to embracing publically-generated data through the case studies, which is freely accessible to view online through the project website.

Furthermore, the project gave practical expression to numerous existing policies and conventions supporting heritage and cross-border cooperation on the island of Ireland and Europe, positively advancing prospects for local and strategic cooperation on cultural landscapes, including the application of similarly innovative participatory processes in the future.

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