Sustainable Urban Heritage: Localisation of SDGs by Digitalising Sites in Belgrade

Abstract

In historical European cities, affected by modernisation and rapid urbanisation, public spaces with layered cultural heritage elements can be considered pilot locations for the localisation of SDG 11 by implementing digital installations. The significance of digitalisation in policymaking for heritage presentation in public spaces is emphasised by the post-pandemic way of life, with the express development of new ways of interacting with information in mixed-reality environments. The research’s primary goal is to determine aspects of urban analysis required for the implementation of the new media installations in presenting heritage sites in public spaces of European cities, which contribute to the localisation of SDG 11 targets identified in the ICOMOS Policy Guidance. The analysis of the spatial aspects for new media heritage installations in the public spaces is explored in Belgrade’s historic core, which has a variety of heritage sites and cultural influences, making it a compelling case study that can be used in European cities with similar characteristics and features. The implementation process required for new media heritage installations in Belgrade evaluated through the SDGs Indicators List suggests that the digitalisation of heritage sites contributes to the implementation of SDG 11 and some targets of other goals. The use of installations in the informal education within public spaces (SDG 4), the development of the digital infrastructure (SDG 9), and the interdisciplinary process of implementation of “digital monuments” (SDGs 12 and 17) reveal the potential for localisation of multiple SDGs in historical European cities at once.