Change Management and Value-Assessment Systems in Built Heritage Assets: A Case Study for Malta, Europe

Purpose: The objective of this study is to examine how changing priorities and values affect heritage preservation within the urban sprawl in Malta. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research method employed included a survey distributed across the different demographics (age, occupation, gender, racial origin, religious affiliation, education, geographical) in Malta. Findings: The results were analysed using Friedman’s ranking test and Exploratory Factor Analysis. The preliminary results reported here suggest that the analysis of transformations in value systems, across the last decade, is essential to inform the creation of adequate policies for sustainable management of heritage, and to allow wider public engagement in formulating such policy decisions. Practical Implications: Shifts occurring in urban areas have been impacting the architectural and cultural legacy of different towns and cities in Malta, Europe. Heritage preservation often has to compete with other priorities, ranging from social, cultural, environmental, economic and sustainability concerns. Conventional heritage management practices have traditionally focused on preventing change. Originality/Value: More recent paradigms have recognised the need to incorporate the transformative nature of heritage and people’s engagement with it. Heritage as a societal and cultural phenomenon may benefit from heritage management utilising value-assessment systems to achieve a careful equilibrium of values, supporting appropriate decision-making processes to safeguard historic buildings or archaeological sites.