Heritage in Urban Contexts: Impacts of Development Projects on World Heritage properties in Cities

The international experts meeting "Heritage in Urban Contexts: Impacts of Development Projects on World Heritage properties in Cities" will be held at Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
It is co-sponsored by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs and Kyushu University in cooperation with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and ICCROM.
In recent sessions of the World Heritage Committee, there have been increasing reports of cases where a worrying pattern of situations affecting heritage sites in urban contexts has emerged. Hence, it is urgently expected and internationally significant to deepen a methodology to identify and evaluate the values of heritage properties in urban contexts. One of the issues flagged during the discussion on the state of conservation of properties during the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku (Azerbaijan) was the urgent need for developing strategies and guidance for better integration of Management Plans for World Heritage sites in the urban development plans and processes (Decision 43 COM 7.3). Previous World Heritage Committee decisions have also identified the need to better address urban development pressures in and around World Heritage properties. In order to respond to this task, the Government of Japan offered to host an experts meeting to discuss and establish a methodology to support this initiative and the World Heritage Committee welcomed this offer.