Slow Progress: Integrating the HUL Approach into the World Heritage Operational Guidelines

UNESCO’s Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (the “Operational Guidelines”) establish procedures for the inscription of properties on the World Heritage List. In 2021, one of the more significant recent changes to the Operational Guidelines occurred. The guidelines for the inscription of cultural landscapes, towns, canals and routes that had been included in Annex 3 were replaced by the Preliminary Assessment Request Format. This article examines the reasons behind the change to Annex 3 and the potential for the reincorporation of inscription guidelines for cultural landscapes, towns, canals and routes. The article commences by tracing the emergence of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach in response to the growing recognition of urban heritage and the threat of urbanization, as we argue the development of the HUL approach is a major impetus to change Annex 3. Steps leading to the adoption of UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape and the significance of its implementation for urban heritage conservation are then examined. Analysis of relevant World Heritage documentation then indicates that the removal of the inscription guidelines from Annex 3 was a temporary measure to facilitate the integration of the HUL approach. Further analysis of the Annex 3 revision process highlights the limitations in the HUL approach and political challenges within the World Heritage system as factors impeding progress. This article contributes to understanding the dynamics of heritage conservation policies and the complexities surrounding the integration of innovative approaches like the HUL into international frameworks.