Industrial world heritage: a strategy for economic regeneration or social exclusion

This paper examines the implied expectations of heritage in economic regeneration and social inclusion policy. Considered from within the context of current debate about the sustainable use of World Heritage Sites, the paper argues that there is an inherent contradiction between the conservation of 'outstanding universal value' and the sustainability of 'associative local value'. Using a comparative analysis of five industrial World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom, the paper concludes that this contradiction limits the capacity for World Heritage Sites to contribute positively to social inclusion through the continuous cultivation of community identity and empowerment