Resilience and Sustainable Territorial Development: Safeguarding Cultural Heritage at Risk for Promoting Awareness and Cohesiveness Among Next-Generation Society

The deprivation of historical and cultural testimony has a direct impact on a territory and its local communities, leading to the loss of social cohesiveness, identity values, and resources that come from sustainable tourism. Even though international action frameworks (Hyogo Framework for Action, Sendai Framework for Action, and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals) emphasise how important it is to recognise the relationship between heritage, society, and territory, a strategic and sustainable vision of participatory conservation and safeguarding is still required on a local level. Through the activities implemented within the SIRIUS and RESTART projects, led by the Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, this paper aims to stimulate a reflection on how the cultural heritage of a place might constitute an effective resilience tool for the impacted populations, with a focus on young citizens. As a transversal element in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, cultural heritage can play a significant role in the establishment of a “risk culture” among residents and visitors, promoting the adoption of responsible behaviours for one’s own safety in an emergency and for the better preservation of cultural assets. In a broader perspective, this strategy will support “climate-sensitive” tourism and citizenship, which can facilitate adaptation to local climate change impacts.