Heritage Management and Development: Valid Judgement or Oversimplified View?

There's truth in the assertion that effective heritage management is mostly affected by development projects. Notably, these projects can have both positive and negative impacts. On one hand, development projects can act as tools for the preservation, protection, and enhancement of cultural heritage. Projects like the renovation of historical sites, museums or memorial places can provide a platform to retain cultural values. Also, development projects that integrate heritage considerations can promote sustainability. For example, the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites initiative encourages preservation and sustainable development that keeps the balance between local community needs and heritage values. On the other hand, some development projects can pose threats to effective heritage management. These include construction of buildings, infrastructural projects, or extraction activities that might damage or completely destroy heritage sites. This is witnessed in cases like the destruction of Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan due to Taliban insurgency. Similarly, scholar Lynn Meskell mentions in her work, "The Nature of Cultural Heritage, and the Culture of Natural Heritage", the impact of rapid urbanization and industrial development threatening the integrity of historical landscapes and archaeological sites. Tunbridge and Ashworth, famous for their work on Dissonant Heritage, highlight that heritage management isn't simply about invoking the past but also about resolving current demands, which often includes development projects. The validity of this statement underscores the need for an integrated approach where heritage management and development planning must work in unison. Rodrigo Navarrete’s work further emphasizes this, suggesting that effective heritage management requires full integration of cultural heritage in the sustainable development goals framework, ensuring a balance between cultural preservation and modern-day progress. Ultimately, the relationship between effective heritage management and development projects is complex and context-dependent. Therefore, proper heritage management should work in tandem with development projects to ensure both preservation and progress.