ORIGINAL - Industrial Heritage as a Source of Social Empowerment and Economic Revitalization

The course will focus on the potential of industrial heritage to be a transformative influence in the post-industrial regions. It aims to bridge an industrial past, through a deindustrialized present, toward an economically and socially sustainable future. It is based on the recognition that there is a gap between heritage specialists focusing on heritage assets on one side, and policymakers and developers focusing on social and economic development on the other. The way to bridge this gap is by using heritage as a resource for development, which, at the same time, secures the sustainability of heritage. Heritage is considered as a lever of economic growth and social renewal in post-industrial landscapes.

The course will look at tangible and intangible heritage – landscape, built heritage, mobile heritage, practices, knowledge, and social structures – linked to redundant industrial landscapes. It will address the question of how cultural heritage can change the cultural identity of a region promoting an optimistic future. The course aims to improve the participants` ability to understand industrial heritage within the dynamic relationship of three levels: the macro-level of regions (spatial planning and territorial development), the meso-level of settlements (urban planning), and the micro-level of buildings. Adaptive reuse of buildings and complexes will be a special focus.

The course will look at the regeneration not only of individual buildings but also of entire regions. Heritage studies will be combined with discussions of visionary leadership to consider how the disadvantages of a redundant region (such as mass unemployment) can be re-positioned as benefits (such as an available skilled workforce). The re-development and management of former industrial sites is a complex process requiring multiple skills and fields of expertise. This is why the course involves a multidisciplinary faculty body, including researchers in various areas, policy experts, spatial planners, managers as well as cultural actors and artists.
Besides dealing with various theoretical and methodological problems related to de-industrialization, case studies will constitute an essential part of the course. Applicants will be expected to bring cases and tutorials which can serve as a basis for in-class discussions. When students present cases, they will place themselves in the role of the decision-makers as they analyze the situation and identify the problem they were faced with. Some prospective tutors bring experiences with successful cases and best practices that will enrich the discussion. In addition, in order to have first-hand experience with the sites under discussion and their special context, the course will include site visits in Budapest and a field trip in Northern Hungary.

Course structure

The course is composed of three modules focusing on three broad areas connected to industrial heritage as a social and economic resource.
Module 1 focuses on the value assessment of industrial heritage. It addresses industrial heritage as a resource, the concept, and methods of heritage value assessment in general, and theories and methods of research in various disciplines such as industrial archaeology, oral history, public history, economic history, heritage studies, social and labor history, sociology, economic studies.
Module 2 is about policies towards industrial heritage: addressing its economic and social potential, its protection, and redevelopment. Here industrial heritage is discussed in the context of spatial and urban planning. The role of industrial heritage in regional as well as local identities and participatory governance will also be addressed.
Module 3 is designed to present practices: industrial heritage research, protection, management, and interpretation are discussed through case studies, best practices as well as problem cases.

The chosen cases presented by the faculty will provide examples of how regions of industry deal with their industrial heritage. Adaptive reuse of industrial heritage is especially relevant in this context, the opportunities, and challenges of which will also be addressed. The case studies will provide an opportunity to discuss how to turn industrial heritage into economic assets, and the pros and cons of industrial heritage tourism.

Each module will be composed of four to six sessions organized by the invited experts: lectures combined with discussion based on the suggested literature. Two modules contain a moderated roundtable discussion with the participation of the respective faculty members to formulate the conclusions of the previous sessions, where further questions can be raised by the participants. This will be followed by two seminar sessions where the participants present their own projects for discussion by the faculty as well as the course participants. Two participants will review in advance every project in a written form, preparing questions and comments for the seminar discussion. The participants will be organized into three groups to present in the three modules based on the thematic focus of their projects.

Attendance and participation in the course’s official programs (including the field trip) are mandatory and are part of the participants’ assessment. Participants are expected to read the assigned material for each lecture and seminar and are encouraged to participate in the joint discussions. During the course, participants will work individually and in groups, building on their individual experience and learning, and share their progress and findings with other groups and members of the faculty. Participants are expected to prepare an oral presentation during the course (15 minutes each). Individual tutorials and guidelines will be available during the course.