Co-creating and Mapping Urban Heritage Narratives through Digital Urban Observatories

<p dir="ltr">This PhD project explores how communities perceive and interact with heritage in urban settings, recognising that heritage is a contested term shaped by daily interactions and practices of the local community in their urban environments. It focuses on mapping unofficial heritage, assets valued by local communities rather than formal institutions, and examines how official heritage designations can influence community perceptions at the neighbourhood scale. A key aspect of the research is exploring Digital Urban Observatories (DUOs) and participatory methods for visualising community perceptions of heritage. As part of this effort, the study aims to develop a Community-Centred Urban Heritage Toolkit to provide structured guidelines and creative tools for engaging communities in mapping urban heritage.</p>