Locally and internationally, urban heritage is a powerful vector for development and identity enhancement, as well as a lever for the tourism economy (Gravari-Barbas, 2020). While the enhancement of urban heritage has mainly been studied from the point of view of public policy and the public sector (Guinand, 2015), researchers have less explored the place occupied by private players in highly regulated and protected Unesco-listed urban sites. Yet, in a context where heritage is becoming a commodity (Berg, 2017), offering a comparative advantage to a property project, or suffering the effects of the financialization of real estate (Risager, 2021) or neglect, private actors, semi-public or non-profit entities play a decisive role in renovating the historic fabric.

In this session, we wish to highlight the role played by private actors in the process of conserving, preserving or transforming the urban heritage of World Heritage cities. Focusing on the role of private players and their relations with public authorities, the session invites to highlight recent socio-spatial transformations in World Heritage cities, characterized by increasing real estate interventions, the growth of tourism – which sometimes competes with the needs of permanent residents – and the challenges of maintaining and renovating these historic sites while dealing with considerations on sustainable development goals (Magliacani, 2023)

Considering that the heritage process is under the control of a multitude of public and private actors, and given that exchanges between them are often characterized by tensions, negotiations and multiple arrangements (Berthold & Mercier, 2015), we invite contributions shedding light on these processes in different contexts of historic cities, particularly those on the World Heritage list.

– What are the characteristics of private developers involved in World Heritage cities (origins, market positioning, project specialization, etc.)?

– What are their motivations?

– How are the tensions expressed between private developers and other urban players (public, associations, NGOs, etc.)?

– What strategies are deployed and what arrangements are made?

– Ultimately, how do private developers help shape the heritage city?