Resilient cultural landscapes: adaptive management and social innovation in heritage conservation

Adaptive reuse is an effective tool for the sustainable management of architectural and cultural heritage. The example of a wine cellar in a Hungarian wine village shows how heritage sites can be enriched with new functions while preserving their cultural and community significance. The research focused on an integrated approach to economic, social and environmental sustainability, and explored the principles of equity, entitlement and solidarity. The research revealed that differences of opinion between winegrowers and decision-makers (−0.904 correlation) point to a lack of transparent decision-making mechanisms that hinder the achievement of sustainability goals. Differences in entitlements are also key: winemakers seek economic sustainability while tourists expect cultural experiences. The study found that these different priorities can be reconciled through community engagement, which not only increases acceptance but also promotes long-term sustainability. To assess the economic, social and environmental sustainability of adaptive recycling, the research used the five-step methodology of the Integrated Sustainability Assessment Framework (ISAF). The effectiveness of the ISAF framework is demonstrated by the fact that it provided an opportunity to quantify and analyse the priorities of different stakeholder groups: winemakers, tourists and decision-makers. The results highlighted that economic sustainability can be enhanced by integrating tourism and community functions. Innovative sustainability solutions, such as the electric mini-train, not only reduce environmental pressures but also strengthen community cohesion, underlining the importance of the solidarity principle. The study showed the multidisciplinary relevance of adaptive recycling, which can be applied at global level. The example of the Hungarian wine village cellar can serve as a model for other World Heritage sites, demonstrating the potential and limitations of the economic use of cultural assets. The robustness of the ISAF methodology ensures that the results can be replicated and adapted to other sites, contributing to the development of sustainability strategies.