Indicators for Assessing the Sustainability of Built Heritage Attractions: An Anglo-Chinese Study

Abstract

Although sustainability is now a well-established concept, it is less well-established in the management of built heritage attractions. This paper reports research on the application of sustainability indicators for built heritage attractions, as a means to advance a more holistic sustainability assessment approach for the management of this important type of attraction. The research employed a questionnaire-based survey and four case studies designed to provide information concerning sustainability assessment for a substantial sample of built heritage attractions in both the UK and China. It seeks to identify the dimensions of sustainability for such attractions through a consideration of relevant sustainability indicators. The research findings indicate important variations in terms of the importance of key sustainable indicators between the UK and China. The results also provide pointers as to how the set of indicators might be developed further to provide a more holistic and measurable appraisal method to assess the sustainability of the management of built heritage attractions.