Erbil City Built Heritage and Wellbeing: An Assessment of Local Perceptions Using the Semantic Differential Scale

Abstract

Community perceptions and experiences of built heritage are essential in understanding the built heritage and effect in individual and community wellbeing. Subsequently, local perceptions of built heritage directly influence the conservation and heritage-led interventions. This study investigated local perceptions of built heritage in Erbil by assessing responses of 414 participants using a questionnaire survey aiming to identify how built heritage is perceived by the various group samples, exploring local perceptions’ (in)consistencies. Significant differences were found between architects’ and non-architects’ perceptions and related wellbeing. As the groups attribute different values, the results suggest that heritage buildings do not contribute to the wellbeing of non-architects as much as to architects. A contradicting result was found between modern and heritage buildings. This study contributes to the notion of human-centrality of the built environment by assessing local perceptions of built heritage, that, when implemented in urban planning and heritage management, can contribute to the city’s socio-cultural sustainable development.

The Role of Built Heritage for Sustainable Development Goals: From Statement to Action

“…Finally, the reuse of cultural buildings can support and increase the availability of adequate dwellings. The complex relation between built heritage experience and wellbeing, mainly through the 'sense of place', has been examined in the works of [37][38][39][40].…”