Heritage for all: inclusive growth and sustainable heritage futures

The term 'inclusive growth' emerged from work in Development Studies that sought to consider how poorer communities could be included in economic growth (Ranieri and Ramos 2013). Since then, the term has evolved to capture varying degrees of meaning: from an inclusivity agenda that focuses on diversity to a growth agenda that fosters both social wellbeing and economic prosperity. The most commonly ascribed definition, and the one that we use, consists in ‘enabling as many people as possible to contribute and benefit from growth’ (RSA 2017). This presentation stems from commissioned work from Historic England and the British Council conducted by the consultancy team of the Bureau for the Contemporary & Historic to examine best practices for how heritage can be a driver for inclusive growth in the UK. Our team has been compiling quantitative and qualitative data from a range of heritage projects that considers tangible, intangible and natural heritage, as well as facilitating
workshops to explore issues around collaborations, funding mechanisms, and gathering experiences across case studies. This presentation will highlight two areas from our work: (1) the key recommendations for an Inclusive Growth Framework in heritage projects, and (2) the challenges that emerged in doing the research. We will explore our work in relation to critical heritage studies and the UK cultural policy landscape, and assess how applying an 'inclusive growth' framework in heritage projects could enhance sustainable heritage futures.