Assessing heritage value and relocation in Han Chang’an City: a heritage impact assessment approach

Abstract This study evaluates the heritage impacts of proposed community displacement at Han Chang’an City, which contains the UNESCO-recognised Weiyang Palace site within Xi'an, China. Using the 2022 UNESCO Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) framework, it analyses the relationship between archaeological preservation and the welfare of 54,000 residents across 33 villages within the 36-square-kilometre protected zone. Using archival research spanning 70 years, this study combines archaeological records, population data, and spatial analysis to evaluate the frequency, duration and permanence of impacts that displacement would affect the site. The analysis shows that relocating all residents would severely damage heritage values (scoring 4.75 out of 5), permanently destroying cultural landscapes and breaking traditional knowledge systems that have safeguarded the site for nearly a millennium. The study challenges displacement-based conservation by demonstrating that communities function as heritage assets rather than obstacles. A selective intervention strategy organising the site into three management zones based on archaeological sensitivity enables targeted conservation while preserving community networks. The research validates desk-based assessment protocols and demonstrates that optimal heritage management requires addressing legitimate conservation challenges through selective intervention approaches calibrated to specific site conditions and community capacities.