Doctoral Researcher Pegah Aftabi
Supervisors Dr Robert Harland, Dr Taimaz Larimian, Dr Aline Fernandes Barata
This project explores how communities perceive and interact with heritage in urban settings, recognising that heritage is a contested term shaped by conflicting interests. It focuses on mapping unofficial heritage—assets valued by local communities rather than formal institutions—and examines how official heritage designations can influence community perceptions at the neighbourhood level. A key aspect of the research is exploring Digital Urban Observatories (DUOs) and participatory methods for visualising community perceptions of heritage. As part of this effort, the study aims to develop a Community-Centred Urban Heritage Toolkit to provide structured guidelines and creative tools for engaging communities in mapping urban heritage.
This study follows three stages. The first stage focuses on identifying urban heritage assets and understanding community perceptions through a literature review and questionnaires conducted with local communities. The second stage involves developing the toolkit prototype by examining DUOs that incorporate community-centred approaches to documenting urban heritage, conducting comparative studies, and interviewing practitioners to refine the design. The third stage includes testing the toolkit through Photovoice data collection, a participatory method that enables communities to digitally document their perceptions of urban heritage. The study utilises The Our Voice Discovery Tool, developed by Stanford University, to recruit citizen scientists, collect data, and map community insights. The research culminates in modifying the toolkit and collectively mapping community narratives of heritage in Loughborough using ArcGIS StoryMaps to offer a digital representation of community-centred urban heritage.
This poster was used to invite community members to participate in a survey on perceptions of urban heritage in Loughborough.
The Poster presented by the doctoral researcher a the 2025 DR Summer Showcase at Loughborough University. This poster was selected by the judging panel as the winner of the Poster Exhibition at the Doctoral College’s Summer Showcase, chosen from 67 posters presented at the event.
Platform