A new study seeking to understand the economic and social impact generated in the UK by receiving a UNESCO designation has been announced.
Undertaken as a partnership between the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) and Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC), the study will also seek to determine the broader value of local partnerships and collaboration across the designated sites, which include Stonehenge, Tower of London and the Lake District, covering 14% of the UK’s land area and home to 9 million people.
The findings are expected to inform future investment, recognising UNESCO sites as “anchors for partnerships that deliver cultural, environmental, social, and economic benefits”.
National Lottery Heritage Fund and Creative PEC are funding the study, which will be led by international consulting firm A.R.S. Progetti and supported by a steering committee comprising more than 20 representatives from the UK UNESCO network.
Additionally, the University of Manchester will deliver a series of workshops in September and October to help shape how the study will quantify ‘value’, capturing not just economic outcomes but also “the wider relational and collaborative dimensions of partnership working”.
What the United Nations is really for
“At a time when some may ask what the United Nations is really for, UNESCO sites give us a clear answer, “ said James Bridge, secretary-general and chief executive of the UK National Commission for UNESCO.
“They bring hundreds of millions of people, and multiple communities together around the world. They don’t just protect world-famous cultural and natural heritage; they use it as a foundation to face today’s challenges, whether that be community resilience or climate change.
“Through this study, we want to demonstrate that partnerships forged through UNESCO sites are practical, powerful, and laboratories for creating a better future together.”
Daniele Fanciullacci, chief executive at A.R.S Progetti, added: “This assignment is a great opportunity for us to deepen a theme most important in our practice: cultural and natural heritage as a vector of social balance, social change and innovation.
“The insightful brainstorming activated by UNESCO UK on how to measure the partnership benefits of UNESCO sites, cultural and natural, in the UK shall lead to
innovative analytical frameworks, hopefully applicable to other sites in future.”
