Open research questions in Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation

What the literature leaves open

• The question of how sustainable preservation should operate amid the collision between the public interest of preservation and the property rights of residents has not yet been sufficiently discussed. The study highlights the gap in discussing the preservation of urban buried cultural heritage that is not exposed above ground. The discussion on cultural heritage preservation has largely been concentrated on visible heritage, with limited attention to buried cultural heritage.

  Cultural Heritage Preservation and Regional Development Conflict at Pungnaptoseong · 2026 · DOI

• The findings indicate that AI research in ICH has shifted from a technology-driven focus to user-centered approaches; however, empirical evidence regarding whether these applications effectively enhance youth participation remains scarce, and theoretical underpinnings remain underdeveloped.

  AI-Assisted Co-creation and Youth Engagement in Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Systematic Literature Review · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should focus on narrowing the gap between theory and practice to better protect cultural heritage in the context of urban development.

  Historic District Conservation: A Critical Review of Global Trends, Development in the 21st Century, and Challenges Through CiteSpace Analysis · 2025 · DOI

• ] The one limitation of the book is not really of the text itself, but of the wider problem of scale.

  Coming Home to Nez Perce Country: The Niimiipuu campaign to repatriate their exploited heritage By Trevor JamesBond, Pullman: Washington State University Press. 2021. 216 pages. $24.95 (Paperback) · 2024 · DOI

• Abstract This article focuses on the role of food interpretation in prison museums and penal heritage sites, which has been underexplored in recent critical analyses of penal tourism and heritage.

  Incarceration and food insecurity: Challenges and opportunities for museum interpretation · 2024 · DOI

• Understanding local communities' perspectives on heritage. Involving local communities in heritage conservation processes. Balancing the needs and interests of local communities with official heritage discourse.

  Interactions between Local Communities and Cultural Heritage: From Expectations to Realities. The Case of Lithuania · 2026 · DOI

• There is a need to understand the association between heritage participation and wellbeing. The heritage sector needs to understand, extend, and promote the societal value of heritage.

  "It makes me feel happy that we did it and what came out of it": Recent research into the association of heritage participation with wellbeing · 2026 · DOI

• The research identifies a gap in the use of digital heritage and arts-based creative methods in promoting community engagement and cohesion. The study highlights the need for interdisciplinary approaches to shape future societies.

  Place, Identity and Wellbeing: Bradford and Beyond · 2026 · DOI

• There is a strong likelihood that the data presented here under-report the true number of visits made by HerWellNHS participants. The availability of funding limited the heritage phase to five months. The study coincided with a period of strikes in the NHS and critical incidents at PHU, which may have affected study adherence.

  Wellbeing Through Heritage for NHS Staff. Heritage Engagement and Participant Choice in the HerWellNHS Project · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should investigate the long-term effects of self-directed heritage visits on wellbeing in NHS staff. Future research should explore the potential of heritage engagement to promote wellbeing in other healthcare settings. Future research should develop and test interventions to support agency and independence in NHS staff.

  Wellbeing Through Heritage for NHS Staff. Heritage Engagement and Participant Choice in the HerWellNHS Project · 2026 · DOI

• examining the role of AI in the future of preservation practice, - investigating how AI can reshape patterns of preservation significance, - exploring the application of NLP and LLMs to other domains of urban planning

  Reading Significance: Using AI to Study Historic Recognition · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies a gap in the study of architectural significance, which has not been examined using computational methods. The study recognizes that traditional preservation practice has been criticized for encoding disciplinary values that systematically underrepresent marginalized communities. The paper aims to address this gap by using AI to examine the construction of architectural significance.

  Reading Significance: Using AI to Study Historic Recognition · 2026 · DOI

• Existing scholarship and policy discourse have raised awareness, yet much of it addresses heritage protection in broad strokes and stops short of a fine-grained reading of modeling principles or workable mechanisms for cultural activation and dissemination. There is a need for a practical framework that connects aesthetic preservation with technological tools and cultural re-contextualization.

  Hakka Dwelling Modeling Aesthetics and Sustainable Maintenance Strategies · 2026 · DOI

• General Recommendations Grounded in the study’s results, conservation and promotion should be pursued as an integrated, place-specific program. First, build a robust digital record: create an as-found documentation system that logs architectural features, construction techniques, and oral histories, supported by GIS analysis and 3D/laser scanning for ongoing condition monitoring and targeted restoration planning. Second, calibrate authenticity and use. Prioritize adaptive reuse rather than demolition so that spaces gain contemporary functions without losing their spatial logic or craft character. Restoration should follow “repair-as-old” principles, with materials and workmanship consistent with the original fabric. Third, amplify digital/immersive outreach. Use VR/AR, mobile apps, and web platforms to turn static information into interactive learning—especially for education and tourism—so broader audiences can access and understand Hakka heritage. Finally, strengthen collaborative governance. Encourage coordinated action among public agencies, cultural enterprises, universities, and local communities. Joint programs—craft transmission workshops, interlinked regional tourism routes, and overseas exchange—can improve sustainability, inclusion, and long-term impact. Citation: Liao, M., Chueachainat, K., & Tho-ard, M. (2026). Hakka Dwelling Modeling Aesthetics and Sustainable Maintenance Strategies.

  Hakka Dwelling Modeling Aesthetics and Sustainable Maintenance Strategies · 2026 · DOI

• There is a disconnection between architectural heritage and sustained community participation. Governance for non-listed heritage sites is fragmented. Heritage research continues to display representational biases.

  Architectural Heritage as an Identity Anchor: Built-Environment Pathways to Conservation Participation in Shenzhen’s Historic Districts · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of a comprehensive framework for constructing heritage narrative corridors. The need for a transferable approach for holistic conservation of linear cultural heritage.

  Constructing heritage narrative corridors of the Great Tea Road in Central Shanxi based on a dual-value-multilayer network framework · 2026 · DOI

• The preservation of heritage sites is constrained by limited funds. The preservation of heritage sites is limited by minimal local government involvement. The preservation of heritage sites requires a balance between sacred functions and secular status as public tourism assets.

  Preserving Tay Kak Sie Temple · 2026 · DOI

• The research is limited by its singular focus on the Semarang context. The study emphasizes foundation-level perspectives. Future studies are encouraged to adopt a comparative framework across different regions in Indonesia.

  Preserving Tay Kak Sie Temple · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies the challenge of leveraging complex cultural elements in international relations. The research highlights the need to address the discrepancies between different scientific fields and the acceleration of the globalization process.

  ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE, CULTURAL DIPLOMACY AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the existing literature on the role of cultural diplomacy in international relations, particularly in relation to archaeological heritage. The research seeks to address this gap by exploring the intersection of archaeological heritage and cultural diplomacy to foster sustainable development in global affairs.

  ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE, CULTURAL DIPLOMACY AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS · 2026 · DOI

• The deterioration of historical monuments in Nakhchivan poses a significant challenge to preserving the region's cultural heritage. The lack of comprehensive documentation and conservation efforts exacerbates this challenge.

  Endangered Mosque Heritage in Nakhchivan: Architectural Documentation and Conservation Priorities · 2026 · DOI

• Many of Nakhchivan's historical and cultural monuments are not preserved, uncontrolled, and unexplored, and are already on the verge of disappearance. There is a need for comprehensive documentation and conservation of these monuments to safeguard this heritage for future generations.

  Endangered Mosque Heritage in Nakhchivan: Architectural Documentation and Conservation Priorities · 2026 · DOI

• Traditional tourism development models are no longer capable of meeting the demands of long-term heritage protection and high-quality development. Intangible cultural heritage along the Silk Road faces practical challenges such as a generational gap in transmission and homogenization in development.

  A STUDY ON THE VALUE TRANSFORMATION OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE ALONG THE SILK ROAD FOR HEALING TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT · 2026 · DOI

• The current organizational practices at Gò Đống Đa Relic have not fully transformed the relic's value into active and assessable learning experiences. There is a need for a model that intentionally designs, guides, reflects upon, and assesses the learning experience.

  Model for Organizing Traditional Education Activities - A Case Study at Gò Đống Đa Relic, Hanoi City, Vietnam · 2026 · DOI

• Future studies could investigate the applicability of the study's findings to other heritage tourism destinations. Further research could explore the impact of collaborative governance on the sustainability of heritage tourism. The study's findings could be used to develop more effective heritage tourism management strategies.

  Collaborative governance in heritage tourism management: lessons from Lasem, Indonesia · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation

• Staged authenticity and heritage tourism · Annals of Tourism Research · 2003 · 703 citations
• Stakeholder collaboration and heritage management · Annals of Tourism Research · 2005 · 606 citations
• The core of heritage tourism · Annals of Tourism Research · 2003 · 574 citations
• Built cultural heritage and sustainable urban development · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2007 · 465 citations
• The role and dimensions of authenticity in heritage tourism · Tourism Management · 2019 · 465 citations
• The Cultural Values Model: An integrated approach to values in landscapes · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2007 · 431 citations
• Indigenous Archaeology as Decolonizing Practice · The American Indian Quarterly · 2006 · 401 citations
• The Impact of Cultural Events on City Image: Rotterdam, Cultural Capital of Europe 2001 · Urban Studies · 2004 · 390 citations
• Managing heritage tourism · Annals of Tourism Research · 2000 · 390 citations
• Implementation challenges to the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings: Towards the goals of sustainable, low carbon cities · Habitat International · 2011 · 381 citations

Most recent work

• Knowledge graph-driven digital preservation of intangible cultural heritage: a cross-cultural comparative study of Chinese and Western implementation paradigms · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · 2026
• Decoding the continuum of architectural intention and public perception in industrial heritage regeneration: A multimodal social media data analysis · Habitat International · 2026
• From circular economy to social design: Obstacles and solutions in heritage management · Journal of Rural Studies · 2026
• Generative AI and digital preservation of built heritage under the Belt and Road Initiative · Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering History and Heritage · 2026
• "It makes me feel happy that we did it and what came out of it": Recent research into the association of heritage participation with wellbeing · Internet Archaeology · 2026
• Place, Identity and Wellbeing: Bradford and Beyond · Internet Archaeology · 2026
• Wellbeing Through Heritage for NHS Staff. Heritage Engagement and Participant Choice in the HerWellNHS Project · Internet Archaeology · 2026
• ‘If Baba calls you, no one can stop you’: affective storytelling and the resacralization of heritage in Golconda Fort · Religion · 2026
• Making continuity: How multiple production networks sustain Huimo as an intangible cultural heritage · Tourist Studies · 2026
• Evaluation of the Elements and Characteristics of the Facades of Cultural Heritage Buildings in the Context of Colonial Architecture · Journal Of Social Research · 2026

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