In order to start heritage-led actions one needs to understand the barriers and bottlenecks which can be encountered while setting up new projects. One of the objectives of ILUCIDARE is to contribute to identify and understand stakeholder user-preferences, barriers and obstacles for heritage-led innovation and diplomacy.
This report takes stock of various data collection processes carried out in the first year of the ILUCIDARE project.
The main reoccurring barriers are situated in the economic and social context. Not surprisingly, the lack of financial resources is identified as a barrier during the early phase of heritage-led innovations and international collaborations, as well as to sustain a project on the long term. On the contrary, the barriers within a social context make a difference between the first implementation phase and the longer-term sustainability. While a lack of social cohesion in a community is observed as a problem during the start-up phase, the differences among individual stakeholders becomes a problem when sustaining a heritage-led innovation.
Consultation with experts and practitioners during Focus Groups and Co-Creation Ateliers revealed a larger focus on barriers in the legal and political context. Observations relate to the top-down nature of public-led projects and interventions, legal barriers of private-public cooperation, lack of support/awareness by politicians, and power relations and competition between competing entities. The results of this more participatory data collection process yielded much more operational results: barriers related to practical examples and possible solutions based on real life experiences.