Geng, S.; Chau, H. W.; Jamei, E. and Vrcelj, Z. (2026) Enablers and challenges of smart heritage implementation: The case of chinatown Melbourne. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 15(5), pp. 1695-1721. ISSN 2046-6099
Abstract
Purpose – Arising from the concept of a Smart City, Smart Heritage has emerged as a significant aspect of heritage conservation. It is viewed as a means to enhance cultural sustainability by strengthening the identity of heritage precincts. Nevertheless, the adoption of Smart Heritage solutions in Australian heritage precincts for the purpose of identity development is still relatively limited. This study focuses on Chinatown Melbourne as a case study to unveil how Smart Heritage can influence a heritage precinct's identity and to identify the enablers and challenges of such implementation. Design/methodology/approach – The study involves interviews with eight professionals in community development, practitioners in the built-environment discipline and experts in heritage conservation in Chinatown Melbourne. Findings – The outcomes of this study offer practical insights for facilitating the development of Chinatown Melbourne as an urban heritage site, along with providing recommendations for other heritage precincts considering the adoption of Smart Heritage as part of their conservation strategy. Originality/value – This study offers a novel examination of Smart Heritage implementation in an urban heritage precinct, addressing both the practical enablers and challenges. It advances the discussion by focusing on how Smart Heritage can enhance cultural identity, an aspect underexplored in Australian heritage studies and provides a framework for future global comparisons.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | chinatown; heritage; smart city; smart heritage; urban heritage; urban identity |
| Index terms: | community development, smart city, interview, methodology, case study, strategy, strengthening, identity, conservation, implementation, practitioner |
| Subjects: | environmental policy, practitioner, communities and social development, structural engineering, sociology, data collection methods, research methods, management, contractual arrangements, urban sustainability |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Urban Studies, Procurement, Stakeholder Management, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here