Forum Themes
Reflecting the challenges of managing the future of these urban settlements, the overall theme of the Mayors’ Forum is “Sustainable Development and Conservation of World Heritage Towns and Cities”.
Sub-themes include the following priority issues:
Theme 1: The Economics of Urban Heritage.
Sub themes could include:
- Developing and applying policy and planning tools for integrating heritage within urban development/growth frameworks
- Developing cultural/creative industries as a driver for socio-economic growth (ie, linked to job creation)
- Managing cultural assets for sustainable cultural tourism
Theme 2: Mobilizing the Private Sector and Engaging Communities for Urban Heritage
Sub-themes could include:
- Encouraging private sector involvement for sustainable development in shaping the future of historic cities
- Mobilizing community participation for the conservation of urban cultural heritage
- Vitalizing living heritage (not just architectural but also intangible heritage as well)
Theme 3: Heritage Conservation and Urban Sustainability
Sub-themes could include:
- Role of heritage (culture-nature) within holistic approaches to urban sustainability as linked to urban quality of life (environmental, social, economic)
- Urban heritage and specific challenges for sustainability
- climate change (challenges, effects, innovative responses)
- risk preparedness/mitigation
- other urbanization trends (mass migration, etc)
- Opportunities for reuse/continuity of historic building stock/infrastructure/ecological resources (both cultural and environmental dimensions)
