‘Value has always been the reason underlying heritage conservation. It is self evident that no society makes an effort to conserve what it does not value.’
– M. de la Torre and R. Mason 2002, Assessing the Values of Cultural Heritage
Background
The heritage industry has researched the value of cultural heritage for decades.
Value is currently considered under three broad categories:
- the economic value of heritage
- the social value of heritage
- the environmental value of heritage.
Research into the economic and social value has a long history. Australia’s first conference on heritage economics was held in 2000. Important research followed, including:
- ‘Valuing the priceless: the value of historic heritage in Australia’ (2005), and
- ‘The value of heritage: summary report’ (2017) published by the Victorian Government.
These two reports are important milestones in Australian heritage valuation literature. They both use choice modelling to elicit the community’s ‘willingness to pay’ for heritage.
Research looking beyond the economic value of heritage is now increasing. Studies into the wellbeing benefits of engaging with heritage is an emerging field. The environmental benefits of conserving heritage is also a newer field of study.
In 2023 the Heritage Council engaged Extent Heritage and Kate Clark to synthesise information on the value of heritage. The report synthesises research on the economic, social and environmental value of heritage. It uses information from both overseas and in Australia. The result is a large document with over 200 cited sources in relation to the value of heritage.
Resources
Access and download the reports below.
Access to PART 1 – Why Heritage: A synthesis of evidence for the social, economic and environmental impacts of heritage (2023) is temporarily unavailable. Please contact the Secretariat directly if you require a copy urgently.