On 26 March 2025, the European network LDnet organised the international webinar “Empowering Local Communities for Smart and Sustainable Cultural Heritage: Bridging Expertise, Digital Change, and Partnerships”, bringing together experts and practitioners to discuss the changing relationship between cultural heritage, local communities, digital innovation and territorial development.
Established in 2011, LDnet is an informal European network connecting people, knowledge and experiences in the field of local development. The webinar reflected this interdisciplinary and practice-oriented approach by combining perspectives from research, heritage management, digital innovation and community-based initiatives. Communities as active actors in heritage development: The webinar opened with a presentation by Giuseppe Pace, Senior Researcher at CNR-IRISS and member of the LDnet Board, dedicated to community activation for cultural heritage valorisation. His contribution focused on participatory methodologies capable of involving citizens not simply as audiences or beneficiaries, but as active actors in processes of heritage interpretation, planning and transformation. From this perspective, cultural heritage can become a resource for sustainable local development when communities are able to participate in recognising its values, constructing meanings and defining future trajectories. Participation therefore becomes part of a broader transition towards more inclusive and collaborative forms of heritage governance. Digital innovation and cultural transition. The webinar also explored the role of digital technologies in transforming the relationship between heritage institutions, cultural resources and communities. Rosalba La Grotteria, representing LDnet and Hangar Piemonte, discussed how digital tools can support cultural organisations and communities during processes of cultural transition, opening new opportunities for access, interaction and collaboration. Digital transformation was approached not simply as a technological issue, but as a process that can reshape the ways in which heritage knowledge is produced, shared and used. In this context, the challenge is to ensure that innovation strengthens participation and accessibility rather than creating new forms of distance or exclusion. Heritage, memory and local partnerships Several European experiences illustrated how these principles can be translated into practice.
Antony Cassar, from Heritage Malta, presented the “Memory Twin” project developed around the Malta Dockyard Collection, showing how digital tools can help connect documentary heritage, collective memory and public engagement. Haris Martinos, from LDnet and the Paros Ancient Quarries initiative, discussed strategies for enhancing the heritage of Paros white marble, highlighting the importance of connecting cultural identity, local development and long-term community engagement.
Roberta De Bonis Patrignani, from Fondazione LINKS, presented the case of Crespi d’Adda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where local communities are being actively involved in the development of a smart management plan. Together, these experiences demonstrated how cultural heritage strategies can benefit from the combination of local knowledge, professional expertise, digital innovation and institutional collaboration. From participation to collaborative governance. The webinar was moderated by Alexander Covine, EMPATHS Project Coordinator at Interpret Europe, and provided a common space for discussing how heritage policies and practices can move beyond traditional expert-led models. A key issue emerging from the debate was the need to create stronger connections between specialist knowledge and the capacities of local communities. Community participation was therefore considered not as an additional consultation activity, but as a component of more collaborative forms of governance.
This means creating conditions in which citizens, institutions, professionals and other local actors can contribute to identifying heritage values, shaping priorities and developing solutions adapted to specific territorial contexts.
Cultural heritage as a resource for sustainable local development The webinar highlighted how smart and sustainable heritage management depends not only on technologies or conservation expertise, but also on the quality of relationships built around heritage.
Digital tools can broaden access and create new opportunities for interaction, while partnerships can connect different forms of knowledge and resources. Their effectiveness, however, depends on the ability to support meaningful participation and strengthen the capacity of communities to play an active role in processes of cultural and territorial change. By bringing together experiences from different European contexts, the LDnet webinar contributed to a broader reflection on cultural heritage as a field in which community empowerment, innovation and collaborative governance can support more inclusive and sustainable local development.