Heritage as commons: Implications for classification, design, and management

Values are at the core of design for the built environment. Values influence not only the final outcome of a design process, but also the process of design (who gets involved, how this engagement is managed, and whose voices are heard in the design process). Values also influence how spatial designs are used, preserved and managed. This chapter explores the growing awareness of the city and (heritage) values commons and identifies ways of dealing with these abstract concepts. It concludes that values only exist when they are commonly held and that built heritage values emerge through communication between people exchanging ideas about the existing environment the humans have created. Where in the past this communication was between experts, we are now broadening the discussion to include every stakeholder. Values are our intangible commons, and their curation should be a common endeavour.