Re-valuing rural heritage: The role of placemaking and placeshaping

Abstract

This paper examines the ways in which rural heritage is being transformed from an arena of production into a consumption space. In this ‘new rurality’, tourism becomes one of the main forces of cultural heritage transformation. Although traditional models of rural tourism tend to frame the countryside as an unchanging space providing nostalgia and tranquillity, new styles of tourism based on the creative use of rural resources offer a more dynamic model. In particular, lifestyle, image, and other elements of intangible heritage become new constructors of place, and placemaking processes give new meanings to these resources. Another theme covered is how the expansion of tourist-focussed experiences is stimulating curation of the rural by a growing army of influencers, platforms, and social media. In more creative settings intangible resources can be given new meanings through creativity, leading to an increase in ‘place value’. A new model is presented of the relationship between placemaking, placeshaping, and place value creation, which underlines the importance of re-valuing the rural world. These principles are applied in Living Labs developed by the Crocus Project.