On 10th September 2025, I attended a ‘Sustainable World Heritage Cities’ seminar organised by the City of Amsterdam.
The event brought together representatives from 9 European cities holding World Heritage status, and experts from the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, part of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. They gathered to share and reflect on the challenges and opportunities for sustainability in World Heritage Cities, including climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Cities shared concrete examples of action developed in response to the local needs of residents, stakeholders and the local/national statutory context, all while preserving the Outstanding Universal Values for which they received World Heritage status.
Jenny Bruce, Old & New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Co-Ordinator and I presented the work on climate change that is currently implemented in Edinburgh by the Management Partners – the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland.
The new guidance entitled ‘World Heritage and Renewable Energy – Guidance on Wind and Solar Energy Projects in a World Heritage Context’, published by UNESCO in July 2025, was also presented.
The document covers renewable energy projects, either large or small scale, with a specific focus on wind and solar energy, providing practical guidance to ensure projects are planned and implemented in ways that safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage sites. It has been designed for heritage and non-heritage experts: sections 1 ‘Understanding World Heritage’ and 3 ‘Protecting World Heritage’ target non heritage expert such as renewable experts, construction professional or residents, section 2 ‘Understanding Renewable Energy’ targets heritage experts and section 4 ‘Assessing Impacts’ targets all audiences and is the core element to this document. The guidance also includes useful case studies and checklists, especially in relation to assessing cumulative impacts.
Our key takeaways:
- World Heritage cities have been actively working for several years on practical solutions to embrace sustainability principles and tackle climate change challenges
- The practice of conservation through repairs, reuse and the use of traditional materials and techniques is inherently sustainable, presenting an opportunity for the heritage sector to act as a role model for sustainability and climate action
- Examples of climate actions in World Heritage sites, and more generally in heritage contexts, are not always well known or easily accessible to the public and professionals, even to those working within the heritage sector
- Communication with residents and local stakeholders is critical to understanding the nature and extent of the challenges posed by climate change; raising awareness of why the cultural significance and the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage sites is protected and what this implies; designing sensitive and efficient climate actions; and ensuring wider public endorsement of best practice
- The understanding of cultural significance and Outstanding Universal Value attached to World Heritage sites is key in implementing balanced interventions, and this understanding should be made accessible to everyone
- Clear and transparent processes and decision-making frameworks are required for decision makers and project holders; this will help assess potential impacts at the start of any project and manage changes in World Heritage sites in a sensitive manner– e.g. avoiding negative cumulative impacts to the Outstanding Universal Value of the sites resulting from many small yet inappropriate interventions
- Case studies are critical in developing and disseminating best practice, providing relatable and practical examples of sensitive interventions in urban World Heritage sites
- A holistic approach in relation to climate action and sustainability is necessary to achieved balanced interventions that are efficient and preserve the Outstanding Universal Value of the sites
- There are significant benefits in working collaboratively between World Heritage cities and within the wider heritage sector to accelerate meaningful climate action
We would like to thank the city of Amsterdam for organising this event and providing the opportunity to meet colleagues from other World Heritage cities. A particular thank you to Inez Weyermans, Coordinator World Heritage Office of the city of Amsterdam, to her colleagues of the World Heritage Office and Monuments and Archaeology Department, to the fantastic team of trainees who helped organise this event and to our colleagues in attendance for their insights and fruitful discussions.