A fusion framework to bridge expert and public perception gaps in cultural heritage conservation

Abstract Cultural heritage (CH) conservation has long been shaped by expert value perceptions (EVP), while public perspectives remain underrepresented. With the growing recognition of CH’s role in urban social sustainability, there is a need to move beyond economic-centric approaches to address perception gaps between experts and the public. This study proposes a Fusion Framework that couples EVP and public value perceptions (PVP) to evaluate conservation benefits. Using the Huguang Guild Hall in China as a case, we analyzed 7936 social media posts and 230 questionnaires. PVP was assessed through perception breadth and intensity based on value indicators and lexicons derived from official documents. Significant gaps were identified between experts and the public, across value indicators, and between perception dimensions. These gaps manifest as visual and spatial effects. The framework demonstrates a data-driven approach to understanding perception gaps and provides a complementary perspective to support more equitable and multidimensional heritage conservation.