4.3 Conclusive remarks
The joint reading of the first set of maps elaborated by the Spanish and the Greek team9 can be used
to propose some hypotheses on the role and effects of CHI, to be tested in the next stages of the
analysis.
- There’s a tendency for heritage resources if the immovable type and museums to cluster in
coastal areas and heavily urbanised areas of Spain and Greece;
- Libraries and other cultural activities are an expression of the pursuit of spatial balance and
access to culture among regions within a country; and are more evenly distributed in the
territory counterbalancing the dispersion of population, depending on the national policies;
- Access to cultural resources is potentially more problematic in heavily urbanised areas where
use pressures are higher (and there’s large competition from visitors).
This discloses a number of highlights regarding territorial potentials, which will drive future
research activities:
- Cultural heritage and assets represent an important factor of “quality of life” for the territory,
hence resulting in a boost of the development potential of a region. More and better cultural
opportunities mean more recreation, higher land values, more enterprise, more “aware”
citizenships, and ultimately a more “sustainable” development where economic growth
objectives are “tempered” by a greater balance in the public realm and equity in the distribution
of resources
- The concentration of cultural assets is also a strong element of attractiveness of the territory,
which is likely to work as a magnet for visitor flows. These turn out to be an important
development asset for the territory - producing tourism-related jobs, income and branding but
also a potential source of disturbance for the physical integrity of the cultural assets (through a
congested use of the resources). Moreover excessive tourism pressure threatens to preclude
access to the heritage and cultural assets by the local people, representing an element of
disruption of stakeholdership of the heritage and ultimately further endangering the preservation
of the assets. Finally, heavy economic pressure from tourism is likely to alter the social mix of
the territory through “crowding out” effects, coming to alter the “cultural identity” of a given
place.
- Positive and negative effects from tourism should be managed and be kept in balance in order
for the “development cycle” of culture to be sustained. The issue is particularly critical in areas
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